


Six Spirits

by Redawilo



Series: Main Stuff [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-12-16 00:49:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redawilo/pseuds/Redawilo
Summary: Eric is an adventurer! All he wants to do is explore foreign lands and kill some things, perhaps even make a buck or two while he is at it. Unfortunately for him he becomes surrounded by a handful of oddballs, which are including but not limited to a kind fire spirit, a flirty demon, a kleptomaniac fairy, and a potty-mouthed feline. Not to mention he somehow gets tangled up in some complicated scheme the spirits of the land have a hand in.This is one of several original works of mine!Updates the third Thursday of every month!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Six Spirits was originally something I was making in RPG Maker VX Ace, but I haven’t touched it in a long time. But because I still want to tell the story in the game, I’ve decided to try my hand at turning it into writing.
> 
> There’s a lot to be desired in this first part I have written, but that’s mostly because I still do not have a firm grasp on the two characters introduced. Which brings me to the big point: this whole series is basically a first draft, as well as an exercise to get to know my own characters better. In a way, we’ll be learning about them together! Neat, huh? ~~(That’s me attempting to make this sound awesome…)~~ I’m also not really good with first person, so this is also going to be quite the practice with that.

My name is Eric. Just Eric. I prefer it that way. I am, or was, a trained soldier. I had sworn myself to serve an emperor, and in exchange I was taught how to use a sword and shield, was given food and drink, and a place to sleep at night. I was also paid, of course, but the city I served in didn’t have a whole lot I was interested in. Not that that matters much now.

You see, I haven’t been to the city I served in for…oh a year and some months now. Heck, I haven’t even been in lands belonging to that empire in about as long. I left, you see. Decided to strike out on my own in order to discover all that the world had to offer. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. Honestly, I don’t know why I started to travel. I just did. I managed to get on board a ship headed south and for weeks I saw nothing but the vast ocean around me, and I haven’t stopped moving since.

Did you know that when you take up the role of an adventurer that you are bound to come across some…interesting characters? Yeah, let’s go with that. “Interesting”. Look if you want me to speak the truth, the people I’ve met are absolutely nuts and I have no idea how to deal with them. Sure, some are nice and I harbor no ill will for them, but those are the kinds of people I only met briefly. The ones whom I was unfortunate enough to have stick around with me? Yeah no, they’re crazy.

But…

I don’t think I’d trade my experiences with them for anything.

Just don’t tell them I said that, okay?

I’m rambling now, though. Here, let me tell you exactly what happened. It’s a long story, but I’d be happy to tell it all, if you’d be willing to listen.

***

I stepped onto the old, rickety dock jutting out from a snow-covered shoreline in a tundra in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t even a town nearby, and I have a feeling that the dock was only still standing because the cold weather made it difficult for the wood to rot away. The ship I had been on was only docking there briefly to let me off. I wasn’t being kicked off, but rather I asked to be dropped off at the first foreign continent they came across. So there I was. It wasn’t ideal, but it had been what I’d asked for. Besides, I was used to it being cold. The empire I came from was covered in six feet of snow ten months out of the year. No exaggeration.

I heaved my belongings onto my back and began my trek across the snow and ice. I’d been told that if I headed east I would find a village in a day or two. It was afternoon already, so I was eager to cover as much ground as I could before nightfall. I slept alright in a couple of makeshift tents during the nights, and walked non-stop during the days. Sure enough I came across the lonely little village called, and you have to believe me when I say I did not make this up, Ice Whole. Yeah, I think whoever came up with that one thought they were being funny.

I’m told it was the settlement farthest to the north in Grande Mondo; that’s the name of the continent I was on now, you see. It had all the markings of one of those places where the residents didn’t like the big city and wanted a place of their own where they could live the way they wanted. Everyone out on the roads was young; young children, young couples, young parents. The buildings were new, and everyone had the demeanor that they knew everyone else by name. The fields surrounding the village were filled with hearty vegetables that grew well in the cold. I knew that, because they were the same sorts of crops that were grown in the empire I came from.

When I entered town, I was greeted warmly by everyone I passed, and it was clear they were curious what somebody like me was doing there. But everyone minded their own business, and at most pointed me in the direction of an inn when I asked. The building in question was comparatively more like the largest home in the village and the owners had a few extra rooms they were willing to rent out to travelers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the place belonged to the mayor or something. That’s usually how those kinds of places are.

I wasn’t about to stay in my room all day, of course. So after making a deal and getting a place to sleep that night, I dropped my belongings off and went back out into the village. I wandered into a general store and was surprised to find they had a stock of useful items for somebody like me. I bought what I could, only briefly considering how I was planning on carrying everything with me when I left, and continued to explore.

I don’t really know why, but I ended up leaving the village and wandering the fields in the outskirts. There were people working them, so I wasn’t too worried about anyone accusing me of stealing. Besides, none of the crops looked ready to be picked anyway. But the most curious thing caught my eye. There was a small fenced off area at the farthest reaches. It had an old, snow-covered scarecrow residing in it, but all that appeared to be growing were weeds. But that wasn’t what had caught my attention.

It was that there was fire in that little spot. No, I do not mean that something was on fire. I mean there was a small flame, no bigger than my fist, hovering just above the ground. It flickered faintly, like it was about to be snuffed out at any second, and of course I had to investigate what that was about. Not seeing anybody immediately nearby, I approached it.

That was the first of many mistakes I made on that little “adventure” of mine. You see, when I got near that flame I heard a voice whisper to me. I thought I was just hearing things with the cold wind blowing on my ears, but it continued to talk, beckoning me closer, begging me to listen.

“Please… Please help me…” I heard it saying. “I need help… Please.” It was so faint, so weak. It sounded like the voice of somebody who had been crying for far too long and no longer had the strength left to even do that much.

I knelt down beside the flame. I had never heard fire talk, so of course I was curious. I felt kind of silly, asking it what it needed, but it was talking so how was I to ignore it?

“Please…something to burn.” It pleaded.

Wanting to see where this was going, I told it to wait just a moment. I ran as quickly as I could back towards the inn. I think I heard it to tell me to hurry before I was standing again, but I’m not certain. I asked the innkeeper if they had any firewood or paper or anything that could be burned. Of course they did. They had an ample supply, in fact. I spent a few of my last coins on as many logs and crumpled up papers as I could carry and raced back to that fenced off area the flame was hiding in.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen as pitiful a sight as was the flame when I got back. It had shrunk down to half its size already, and I had only been gone a matter of minutes. I brushed the snow from the ground and laid out the pile of burnables. I motioned for the flame to do what it needed, and barely to my surprise it floated forward and sprang onto one of the papers, igniting it immediately. As any fire would, it spread steadily and grew larger and larger the more it consumed. As it grew into a much healthier size, I got back to my feet. I was about to ask if there was anything more I could do for the weird little flame when suddenly the whole pile erupted into a blaze taller than I was!

I think I let out a yelp, which I don’t think anyone would have blamed me for. The fire was roaring now something awful, and briefly I panicked and wondered if it was going to burn down everything in that fenced off area. But it didn’t. Instead the flames began to change shape. They came together, solidifying for lack of a better word, and their form became more vivid with each passing second. By the time everything had burned away entirely, the flames had become something humanoid.

Its skin was pale orange, and its hair like the flames it had been born from, although not flames themselves. Its eyes were ablaze as well, hot and beautiful. It didn’t appear to have a distinct gender, although if I had to I would say it was feminine. Soft, slender, lithe, and again beautiful. Its clothing was nothing more than a piece of orange cloth wrapped around a flat chest and tied in the back, and another tied around wide hips and barely reaching mid-thigh. I to this day do not know if it even needed to wear clothing or if it simply wore what little was required to pass as “not naked” in a normal society.

It gazed down at me warmly, the most grateful of smiles on its features. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” it cried out, clasping its hands together over its chest. “Really, I cannot be more indebted to you! You’ve saved my life when I had already thought it forfeit!”

I was gaping at this point. Something akin to a woman had just been born from that tiny flame that had hungrily eaten every part of my burnable offering that I had made for it after it had begged me to get it something. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, because I had far too many questions I needed to ask. I can’t remember the order of how everything happened, but I learned many things from and about this strange creature in a very short amount of time.

It said that it was a fire spirit. I was to call it Uri, and because my kind (”mortals” was the actual word it had used) preferred to think of living beings as having a gender I could call her female. She told me that she had been cast far to the north for some reason. She said she had a feeling that it had been for punishment, but that she truly did not know. Oh, that’s right, Uri had been stricken with a mild case of amnesia. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember the events that she had been punished for, or even if that really was what had happened. I got the feeling she wasn’t telling me everything, of course, but who was I to demand a fire spirit to tell me anything? Sure, I’d apparently just brought her back from the literal brink of death, but that didn’t mean I deserved to know every little detail about her personal life. In fact, I kind of didn’t want to know. I had helped somebody, and it hadn’t really cost me anything, not even my time or energy, so that was all that had really mattered to me.

But she insisted that she needed to repay me. And that’s how the first of those “interesting people” I had met came to join me on my adventure. I wasn’t too keen on her following me around. I usually prefer my own company, even when I was back at home. She managed to win my okay only by saying that she could help me find my way around Grande Mondo, and that of course was the first time I had actually heard the name of the continent. She told me that if nothing else she would show me to the next village a little ways to the south. She claimed to have a friend there that she could stay with if I didn’t want her to hang around any longer. And yes, I am entirely aware that that sounds like she just wanted me to escort her there. I knew it at the time, too.

Call me crazy, but escort missions are the worst. I’d had to accompany many a wealthy merchant or noble from place to place before, and it is either the most boring thing in the world or the most exhausting. If it isn’t random bandits attacking, it’s having to put up with snobby rich jerks who pay you hardly anything for having to deal with their whining and insults for days on end. I was not keen on seeing this woman anywhere. But at the same time, I didn’t want to run the risk of her dying just because somebody wasn’t there to provide her with firewood if she got too cold again. I didn’t just save her only to let her die almost immediately!

So I agreed to have her with me. We were fortunate that the innkeeper didn’t ask who, or what, she was and that we weren’t charged anymore for the room I already had booked. Also fortunate was that the room was already outfitted with two small beds so I didn’t have to sleep on the floor. She spent the rest of the day keeping warm in the room and recovering her strength. I looked about Ice Whole some more, not because I was curious what it might have to offer but because I wanted to kill the time.

When morning arrived, we departed. To my relief a day’s worth of rest had done wonders for Uri. The biting winds outside didn’t bother her in the slightest, and she was smiling as we left. Once we were beyond the fields, she began to tell me more about herself and the land we were in.

She said that as a fire spirit, she innately wielded the element in a form of magic. She admitted that having nearly died meant that it would take some time for her to be able to do all of the tricks she used to be able to do, but assured me that what she was capable of would still be useful against any of the malevolent creatures that roamed the land. Speaking of which, she informed me that there were an absurd number of beasts and other things in the wilds that would seek to harm travelers, and that it was fortunate that I had a weapon and armor with me already. I told her that wouldn’t be a problem. I was armed for a reason, and that reason being that even in my homeland there were things that one needed to be able to protect themselves from. I think she was relieved to hear that.

As if to prove her point about the place being dangerous, we were attacked only minutes after that conversation. Now here me out, giant rats are the most dumb thing you can have attack you as a first encounter. I don’t care how big they are, they are dumb. So of course three of them the size of wolves were what decided to come at us. Uri’s magic immediately proved to be highly useful. By the time my blade felled one of the dumb beasts, the other two had been roasted by her fire. I was about to move on with my life when she stopped and asked me to cut off the tails of the overgrown rodents. Of course I asked her why, but all she told me was that she wanted to give them to her friend as a present.

Well who am I to question something like that? Yeah…no… I did question it, but she insisted. So just to please her I hacked off all three appendages, drained them of their blood, and gave them to her to carry. She slung them over her shoulder like they were weirdly shaped sacks of potatoes and carried on like it was the most normal thing to be hauling around three hairless animal tails through the snow.

The village in question took a total of three days of walking to reach, and while the temperature did increase it was only by a few degrees. The ground beneath our feet was still frozen and covered in several inches of snow. Perhaps interestingly Uri wasn’t much for conversation. Most of our walk was in silence, which again was fine by me. I felt it was better that this escort mission be one of the boring kind. Occasionally we got interrupted by yet more giant rats, and Uri had me remove each and every one’s tail.

We arrived at the village of Whitefield close to sundown. Unlike Ice Whole, this place was busier and appeared to be geared towards serving people like myself who were traveling and needed a place to stop and rest. Almost immediately upon arriving, Uri hurried ahead a few steps before turning to me with a smile.

“Thank you for bringing me here.” She said. “My friend lives right next to the tavern. If you’d like, come by a bit later. I might be able to get you a free meal.”

I told her I might, and that seemed to satisfy her. She went off on her own, and I my own. Having found a few coins clutched in the paws of the rats we had slain, I browsed the shops that were here and there, not finding much of anything useful. I did however stop inside a place that sold armor so that I could buy a crude leather helmet to help protect my ears from the cold. I had a cloth tied around my head, but it wasn’t working as well as I’d hoped. So instead I rolled it up and wore it like a bandana beneath the helmet. It wasn’t the best form of cold-protection, but it would do.

When the sun had set and people were beginning to return home or were drifting off to the tavern, some strange part of me decided I should take Uri up on her offer. This was the second mistake I made.


	2. Chapter 2

The tavern, as most are, was easy to find. In such a small village as Whitefield, a tavern is the only place where the doors would be wide open and noise aplenty after sundown. Part of me wanted to go straight into the place to warm up, but I felt I should at least make sure Uri was safe and sound with this friend of hers. The place she told me about was just as simple to locate as the tavern. Other buildings in town were all solitary ones, but not this one. It was directly attached to the tavern and had a little mostly-inconspicuous door as far away from the tavern’s entrance as possible while still being on the same wall. I hopped up the steps and rapt my knuckles on the door.

There wasn’t any noise to be heard over the drunken patrons next door, so it was marginally surprising when the door in front of me was finally pulled open. I was fully expecting to see somebody I had never laid eyes on and was prepared to explain who I was. A tiny, very small part of me was glad that Uri was the one who had answered the door. Upon seeing me she beamed and invited me inside. The house was fairly small, and while certainly warmer than it was outside I found it to be much chillier than the houses I had visited in the empire.

“Rory! He’s here!” Uri announced, leading me further inside and peeking into a small kitchen.

“I’ll be out in a moment. Make yourselves at home!” a feminine voice replied.

Uri motioned for me to take a seat at a table, so I did. She sat down across from me and I was about to ask her what our host was like when the person herself came into the room. I can still remember my first thought when I saw her; “Are all women on this continent tall beauties?!” She must’ve been at least six and a half feet in height, and she was a knockout. Her hair was white and tied back into a ponytail. Even like that it easily passed her shoulders in length. Her eyes were golden, and I’d later learn to take warning if they were anything but. And of course as was to be expected of somebody who was friends with a fire spirit, she was distinctly not human. Her skin was black as coal, a pair of horns protruded from her head, and she had a tail with a triangular shape at the tip. Her fingernails were closer to black claws as well.

Her clothing was also unusual. From what I’d seen in both Ice Whole and Whitefield, most people were bundled up warmly with many layers. Their clothing was a bit worn, and the most extravagant things might be a colorful scarf that was no doubt something special to them. This woman, however, was dressed just as oddly as Uri was, although not in the same way. She was wearing what looked to be a red-with-with-accents leather jacket that was open quite a bit in the front, although like Uri she didn’t really have any cleavage to show. She also had on a pair of red short-shorts. A pair of black heeled boots came up to her knees. Also interestingly she wore a pair of red earrings that I’d later notice were made of the same material as the ones dotting Uri’s ears, as well as a red choker. At her hip hung a red belt, and from it a whip and a riding crop. My second thought when I saw her was, “She seems like the kind of woman who would be on the streets where the nobles live at night back at the capital of the empire,” for the record.

“Ah, so you’re Eric.” She said with a grin, giving me quite the view of eight long, white fangs. “Uri told me of your valiant rescue. You’re quite the charming hero, aren’t you?”

“Rory!” Uri cried out, and from her tone I wouldn’t have been surprised to see her blushing at her friend’s teasing if she had blood.

The woman chuckled and took a few steps closer to us. I’d be lying if I tried to deny that I liked the way her hips moved when she walked. “I’m just teasing, Uri.” She stated, turning her attention back to me. “The name’s Aurora, but everyone calls me Rory, so please use that.” She held her hand out, and I stood up to shake it. Being on my feet really put it into perspective just how tall she was. Even without her heels she was huge.

“I’m Eric.” I replied. Sure, I knew she already knew my name, but it was only courteous to introduce yourself.

She seemed satisfied with this and stepped around to see beside Uri at the table. It was a little surprising to see the way she draped her arm across the back of Uri’s chair, almost protectively. “I’ve been told I should treat you to a meal to thank you for helping Uri. I’ll even throw in a place to crash tonight.” She stated. “You interested?”

“Ah, yes, thank you very much.” I wasn’t going to say something like ‘you didn’t have to’ when I didn’t mean it. Part of why I had come was just for that reason, after all.

“Alright. Then how about we go next door in a little bit. For now, why don’t you tell us about yourself?” Aurora suggested.

I looked down at my hands in my lap. “There’s…not really a whole lot to tell. I used to be a soldier, and now I’m not. I came to Grande Mondo mostly on a whim, and I’m just out to explore and see what the world has to offer me at this point.”

Aurora hummed to herself thoughtfully and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table, her chin placed delicately on top of her hands. “I see…” she whispered. She didn’t sound convinced, and I can’t say I blame her. Thankfully for me she didn’t push it. “I take it you are unfamiliar with these lands?”

“Very. Right now I think I’ll just go south for a while to see what’s beyond the snow.” I admitted.

“That might prove to be problematic. There’s a mountain range south of here. It acts as a natural barrier between the snowiest parts of the tundra and the warmer lands beyond it. Normally there’s a pass that makes for fairly easy travel, but there was a huge avalanche not too long ago and no one can get through.”

I noticed Uri cringe and her eyes fell to the table between us, a look of shame crossed her features. She said nothing, and for some reason or another I chose to ignore it.

“So the pass isn’t much of a pass right now. Great. Luckily I’ve got experience getting across mountains.” I mumbled.

“If you’re so inclined as to get through, might I suggest taking Uri with you?” Aurora said, looking down at the other woman. “A fire spirit, even a weakened one, should be able to help you make a path. You were planning on going with him anyway, right?”

“I was…” Uri replied, her voice unusually soft.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” I told the fire spirit quickly. Part of that was true, but of course my other intention was that I really didn’t want the company.

Uri shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I don’t like the cold, but it’s not like the cold alone is enough to bring harm to me.”

I blinked in surprise. Then why was she but a tiny little flame when I found her? We lapsed into a silence as I thought this, and Aurora must have picked up on the unusual atmosphere that was forming. She stood up from the table with a sigh and cast both of us a smile.

“Let’s go eat. You two must be starving after such a long walk in the cold.”

Without another word, Uri and I agreed and we followed her out of her house and to the tavern next door. Aurora was greeted by the bartender and she approached him with an air of familiarity. Uri stayed a step behind her, but I must admit I was a bit awed. It was so warm inside, and despite the noise everything seemed welcoming. A fire burned in the hearth, and people huddled around it drinking down pints of whatever alcohol they could afford. Those who weren’t drinking sat at tables that dotted the floor and were eating what looked like a hot and hearty stew. I drank all of this in as I slowly kept up with the two women I was with.

“Aurora, you know I can’t serve somebody his age.” I heard the bartender say.

“I’m not asking you to get him drunk.” The woman replied seriously. “Water will be fine for him. But I want three of your largest bowls for all of us. I’m vouching for him, so that’s fine, isn’t it?” she raised an eyebrow and the man gave in with a sigh.

“Go take a seat somewhere and I’ll bring you your food and drink.”

Aurora turned around and grinned when she saw the confusion on my face. “Oh, did I not tell you?” she motioned for us to follow and we all took a seat at the nearest empty table. “I’m actually the owner of this place.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be a few inconsistencies between this and the last part but frankly I don’t care enough to fix ‘em and this IS very much a rough draft if anything. Mostly though this part paves the way for the story to pick up either in the next part or the one after it. =D

“Wait, you are?” I asked her. Looking back on it, I don’t know why I was surprised. After all Aurora essentially lived in the same building. That usually indicates ownership. I guess I just didn’t expect somebody like her to own a tavern.

Aurora chuckled. “I am! When I first stumbled upon this little village, the tavern was in terrible shape. The alcohol tasted like swamp water and the food would make you sick for a week.” She waved her hand somewhat dismissively. “I don’t know how the old owner managed it, but I made him a decent offer and hired somebody who knew what he was actually doing to run the place. And I taught him how to make the most popular dish in town.”

As if on cue the bartender approached their table carrying a tray. I’ve never been a drinker, so I’ve no idea what it was he gave Aurora but it was alcoholic in nature, that I am sure of. He begrudgingly gave me a glass of cold water that I suspect he had melted the snow outside in order to make. It caught me off guard a little that he had no offering for Uri, but then it clicked that giving a fire spirit any liquid might be problematic. Although thinking about it now alcohol might have been alright, but she didn’t seem concerned that she was being left out on that front. In addition to our drinks, the man set out a large bowl of piping hot stew before each of us and retreated.

I wrapped my hands around the bowl, silently enjoying the heat enveloping them for a moment. I looked Aurora in the eye and watched as she raised her drink and downed half of it one go. After she had let out a satisfied breath at the burn in her throat, she raised a curious eyebrow at my staring.

“Just to be certain, is there anything in this that I should be concerned about ingesting?” I asked, glancing down at the stew to indicate what I meant.

Aurora hummed in thought and sent a smirk across the table towards me. “Perhaps. It depends on what sort of things you are alright with knowing you are eating.”

“Name an animal and a body part, and I have likely eaten it before.” I told her truthfully.

I heard Uri giggling before I saw the grin flash across Aurora’s features. “Then you have nothing to worry about!” she announced.

Not feeling so great about that, I lifted the bowl and brought it to my lips. We weren’t given spoons or anything else to eat with, and it wasn’t uncommon back home for people to just drink soups and stews. I took a measured, tasting sip just to see if there was anything immediately weird about it. To my relief, it tasted fine. I wouldn’t say I understood why it was supposedly the most popular thing in the village, but it was the farthest thing from bad otherwise. After drinking in more of it, savoring the heat trickling down my throat and warming me from the inside, I caught sight of Aurora still watching me. I lowered the bowl back to the table and leveled my gaze with her seriously.

“Okay, what’s in this?” I asked.

“Locally grown vegetables and freshly fallen snow, of course.” Her grin turned a bit wicked. “But unlike most stews common in this area, the base comes from the monstrous rats that inhabit the tundra around here.”

Immediately I knew what that meant. I raised an eyebrow. “Specifically their tails?”

Aurora’s eyes lit up in delight. Beside her Uri giggled again and spoke up. “I told you Rory would like the tails. That’s why I wanted to collect them.”

I gave a light shrug. It was a little strange, but far from the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. I took another drink of the stew. This time I let my tongue really feel out everything that filled my mouth and another question came into my head as I swallowed. “Rat tails don’t have a lot of meat, though. Why specifically them? Also I don’t think I can taste chunks of meat in this.”

The owner of the bar had been downing her own bowl as I spoke and so there was a brief moment I had to wait before receiving my answer. “That would be…” she began as she finally lowered the bowl, “…because the tails are stewed for days in a large vat until they are entirely dissolved. Then the whole thing is strained and the broth is used as a base for the rest of the stew. Any solids that get removed make a pretty good fertilizer for the crops.” The last bit she added on almost as an after-thought.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard of that being done. In fact, a lot of meat-based broths were made in a similar fashion, if I wasn’t mistaken. Perhaps not to quite the extent that everything including the bones were dissolved, but the method wasn’t unheard of. That still didn’t really answer the main question though.

“Why only use the tails? Wouldn’t you be able to get more out of using all of the rats?”

Aurora shook her head. “Such a human way to think of things.” She stated with a playful grin. “Certainly you can, but the tails are the most suitable parts. Ted there,” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder and the bartender who was back at his place behind the counter, “had the same question when I taught him the recipe. Certainly you could use everything, but as a demon I have a very particular set of tastes when it comes to meat. The tails are far superior to any other part of a rat.”

Well that explained a lot. Not about why the tails specifically were used. I still to this day do not understand Aurora’s palate. No, what she had just said explained her strange appearance. It was clear from the get-go that she was not human. I always find it somewhat rude to ask what species a person is, no matter how many of them have told me it’s completely acceptable to do so, so I had been curious what she was. Now that she had said she was a demon, her appearance made a lot of sense. Horns, tails, claws, fangs? Yep, that checked out as being a demon in my mind.

“I see.” Was all I had to say about her explanation. Because what else was I supposed to say? I didn’t know, and I still don’t. I drank the rest of my stew quietly and after a moment or two of peace the two women I was with stoked up a conversation with each other.

“What are you planning to do from now on, Uri?” Aurora asked her as the spirit lowered her own bowl from her lips.

She had been slowly eating, but I get the feeling even the broth was a little bothersome to her. I assumed if it was really a problem Aurora would have ordered something else for her or she would have spoken up.

“I’m not sure.” She answered truthfully. “I don’t think staying here for long would be good for me. As much as I enjoy spending time with you, Rory, it is far too cold here. I think whether or not Eric lets me tag along with him I’ll eventually go south some more and see if there is anything I can do in Pinesworth. Although I suspect at some point no matter what I’ll return to Vulkane.”

“Are you sure about that?” Aurora said with concern evident in her voice. “Going back to Vulkane could mean trouble for you.”

Uri shook her head somewhat forlornly. “I know. It’s where I am expected to go, but I don’t know what else to do. Vulkane’s my home. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable staying anywhere else for any length of time. Besides, if there really is anything going on, that’s between myself and Vayu. You don’t need to concern yourself over me.” She cracked the softest of smiles. “But that’s not to say that I don’t appreciate you trying to look out for me.”

Aurora reached out and placed a hand on top of Uri’s. After a moment Uri let go of her bowl and laced her fingers with the demon’s. They exchanged a short, affectionate look.

“I’ll be okay, Rory. Even if there really is some problem between us, this isn’t the first time Vayu and I have been in a disagreement.”

The fact that I could tell Uri was saying such things more to try and convince herself of this meant that it would be all too apparent to Aurora. The look on her face said exactly as such, but all she did was give Uri’s hand a quick squeeze before finishing off her meal. A few minutes passed in silence and all of us polished off both the food and drink we had been given. Not even for a second did the two women release each other’s hands, and every now and then Aurora would momentarily curl her fingers around the others a bit tighter. I was pretty certain something was on their minds, but I had no idea how to even ask about it, let alone if I should. I did, however, lock away that name into my memory.

Vayu…

After our bowls and empty mugs were taken away, Aurora turned her attention back to me. “Eric, I know you’ve already said you would prefer Uri to remain here, but I would like to ask you again to take her with you. For both of your sakes. I don’t want Uri going out into the tundra on her own right now, and I must stress again that it would be beneficial to you in making it through the mountains.”

I breathed out a sigh. Somehow I knew that conversation hadn’t been over. “I don’t like traveling with other people.” I admitted plainly. “Blame it on my time as a soldier, or just blame it on my nature, but I prefer my own company.”

Aurora shook her head. “I understand that, and believe me want to I respect it. The problem I have is that I cannot just leave Uri to her own devices right now.”

“Rory!” Uri complained indignantly. “I can take care of myself.”

The demon shot her a scowl. “I know you can! If the circumstances were normal I would have no problem with you being out there on your own. But something happened and you nearly died. I don’t know about you, but I am not particularly happy when I find out somebody has painted a target on my friend’s back!” she turned back to me. “Please Eric, at least until you reach Pinesworth. Uri is at her most vulnerable in the tundra. She might be able to withstand the cold but these are uncertain times and I am worried. Pinesworth is a port city at the furthest southern point of the kingdom. It doesn’t get as cold there, and the snowfall is significantly less than everywhere else. If you would see Uri to there at the very least, it would put me at ease.”

Despite myself I let out a groan. “If you’re so worried about her, why not take her there yourself?” I asked. I had just wanted to offer a solution to their problem that didn’t involve me. Instead I’m certain I came off sounding like a complete jerk. I recoiled at my own words and bit my lip as I mentally tried to figure out how to soften what I had just said.

To my surprise Aurora’s eyes lit up just a little. An idea had occurred to her. “Alright…how about this: both of us will join you.” She smirked. I flinched. That had not been what I was suggesting at all and I’m quite certain she knew it. I get the feeling she proposed this new idea just to get back at me for how rudely I had just come off. “I’ll be the one escorting Uri here to Pinesworth, and you’ll just happen to be traveling the same way at the same time as us.”

Beside us Uri had broken out into a grin and was trying to hide quiet laughter behind her free hand. This was the farthest thing from what I was hoping would come from all of this, but I was tired and quite frankly if it meant the debating would be over and I could see a new day sooner I was willing to endure a few weeks’ worth of frustration. Or so I told myself at the time.

I sighed. “Alright. Fine! Both of you can come with me and show me to this Pinesworth city. But after that I want to be on my own, okay? I don’t care what you get up to after that, but I came to this continent to make my own decisions for once and that is exactly what I intend on doing.”

Aurora gave a short celebratory whoop and pulled Uri into an excited hug, their hands finally coming free from each other so the demon could wrap both arms around her friend’s shoulders. Judging by Uri’s smile, I’d say she was pleased with this outcome as well. I on the other hand couldn’t stop the beginnings of a sinking feeling of dread spreading throughout my stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

Back at Aurora’s house, the three of us prepared for bed. I slept on the floor in one corner of the room on a bed made from my sleeping bag and other blankets and cushions Aurora lent me. Unsurprisingly both women shared Aurora’s bed that night. In fact the demon, ever protective of her friend, insisted on sleeping on the outside and kept an arm around Uri the whole night.

By morning I was feeling a little stiff from the only partially comfortable bed, but at least I was rested. Aurora was already awake, and part of me thinks she might not have slept at all. Uri was the last to wake and it was mostly due to the smell of breakfast being made. Truth be told Aurora isn’t a great cook, but the meal was free and she made it for us so neither Uri nor I complained.

We were gathering together our belongings and some supplies for the road when a knock came to the door. Aurora muttered a quick “Who could that be?” and hurried to answer. A woman in her late forties narrowed her eyes as she looked up at her, but Aurora greeted her warmly.

“Forgive me, Rory, but I am in a bit of a hurry.” The woman stated. “My son has shirked his wood chopping duties and the house is cold. You always seem to know where to find him. Could you do so and tell him to come and do his chores?”

Aurora’s smile faltered a little and she breathed a sigh. “Of course, of course. I know just where he would be hiding. I’ll have him back home within the hour.”

“Good. Thank you.” The woman muttered before turning on her heel and leaving. Aurora shut the door behind her.

“Well, I needed to pay a visit next door before we left anyway.” She mumbled. “That woman’s son is a handful.” She pointed at me. “He’s about your age, and it seems he’s finally hit the rebellious stage of his life. The boy has a crush on me, although I don’t believe his mother has noticed.” She gave a shrug. “Are you two ready or shall I take care of this on my own really quick?”

“I still have a few more things to pack up.” I stated, rolling my sleeping bag up. “So how about we meet you outside when we’re ready?”

Aurora gave a nod, picked up her bag, and left her house. Uri sat on one of the chairs at the table and stared at the door silently. A few minutes ticked by and I finished getting everything together. I motioned for Uri to come with me and we stepped out onto the steps in front of Aurora’s house. I glanced down the wall towards the door to the tavern and after a moment’s debating took a few steps that direction.

I stopped in my tracks when I suddenly heard a shout. Before I could run over to see what was going on the door burst open and a kid about my age ran out. He turned on his heel and pointed angrily back inside just as Aurora casually stepped out and leaned against the door frame. The kid was fuming, his face red and brow furrowed in anger.

“You’ll regret making fun of me, ‘Miss’ Aurora!” he shouted, stamping his foot on the ground for emphasis. “I was a fan of yours! I really was! And now because you’ve gone and made me angry, I’m going to make you see just what you are missing out on by not accepting my love! You’ll see! You will forever lament the day you turned down The Great and Mighty Herald Richard!”

He spun on his heel again, red and white cloak billowing out behind him dramatically. He stomped his way passed us, purposefully knocking shoulders with me as he did. He was grumbling under his breath and scratching furiously at his beard. I watched him go for a moment before turning a quizzical look to Aurora. The demon had a somewhat remorseful look on her face as she picked up her bag which had been sitting outside the tavern and came to join us.

“That poor boy, he really has gotten the short end of the stick.” She stated calmly.

“Is his name really Herald Richard?” I asked incredulously.

She nodded. “Unfortunate, isn’t it?”

“Just what did you do to him to make him so angry?” Uri asked, putting her fingers on her lips thoughtfully. “Did… He _does_ know you’re a man, yes?”

_Say what?_

“Oh yes, he does. That was one of the first things he assured me of when he first confessed his love to me a few years ago.” Aurora replied.

_Wait…seriously? Well I mean that does explain a_ few _things but still!_

“That’s good to know. So what exactly did you do?”

“Not much.” _He_ shrugged? Yeah uh…I guess I should start using the correct pronouns now that the cat’s out of the bag, shouldn’t I? _He_ shrugged and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I told him that I had no interest in sleeping with him and that frankly if he wanted to get my attention he should start behaving like a man and do as his mother asked of him instead of being a child and avoiding her.” He paused briefly and chuckled. “I may have also teased him again a little about the time I found him hiding in a manhole in Pinesworth. Really, combined with his name those jokes write themselves.”

“How cruel.” Uri said, giggling despite her sympathetic words.

At this point I finally got over my shock at Aurora being a man…or at least I finally managed to pick up my jaw from the ground in order to speak up. “So wait, rather than let him down gently or something you made fun of him?”

Aurora waggled a finger at me in shame, clicking his tongue. “I’ve tried the ‘letting him down easy’ approach plenty of times. It never worked for very long. Besides it’s a policy of mine not to flirt with somebody if I don’t intend to make good on the promises such things imply.” He took a step closer to me and placed that same finger under my chin, tilting my head back to look him in the eye. He smirked down at me, fangs exposed ever so slightly. “Flirting only raises a person’s hopes, you know? Surely you must. A handsome boy like you was surely popular with the ladies back where you came from.”

I jerked my chin out of his grasp, taking a couple small steps back and scowling at him in the process. “I’m not into men.” I said flatly.

The demon clapped his hands together in delight. “See?! You understand how being direct with a person is best!”

“Being direct _is_ best! Teasing is going a bit too far, though.”

“You don’t know how persistent Harry Dick can be.” He stated. “Now then, shall we get going? The sooner we depart the better. I’ve already told Ted I will be gone a while, so he’ll look after things for me for however long it takes.”

“Are you sure that’s alright?” Uri asked.

“Of course. This isn’t the first time I’ve gone away, and it won’t be the last. And certainly I have been gone for far longer than however much time this will take.”

Since Aurora insisted things would be fine for him, we decided to get a move on. After we left Whitefield, I ended up taking point. If only because that left Aurora and Uri to lag behind a few feet to talk quietly between themselves.

To what should be no one’s surprise, Aurora proved himself to be almost as useful as Uri in combat. At first I was concerned his choice in footwear would be a problem, but his fighting style kept his need for footwork to a minimum. On top of that, he assured me that his feet and ankles never hurt despite wearing heels all the time. As expected, the whip he kept on his hip was his primary weapon, and the monsters in the region faired about as well against being thrashed by it as they did getting sliced by my sword. Anything that dared to get within the reach of his whip usually ended up getting bitten by his crop or even on the receiving end of his fist, which while less effective than the whip certainly did not make the stupid creature feel good.

In addition to combat prowess, he made himself useful in one other way. Demons do not sleep anywhere near as much as humans or spirits. At night when Uri and I would tuck ourselves into sleeping bags, Aurora would stay up to keep watch, keep our campfire lit, and to fend off any stray beasts that got too close. Just having somebody like that around made sleeping that much more restful, what with not having to wake at the slightest unusual noise.

It took us close to a week and a half with no towns or villages on the way to reach the mountains and the pass which my escort-ees had spoken of. To all of our surprise the snow that had apparently been dislodged and fallen into the pass had been cleared away. A lone signboard was barely standing before a large snow drift near the pass’s entrance. Aurora wiped away the snow that had gathered on it and all three of us fell silent for a moment in shock.

“Be thankful! The Great and Mighty Herald Richard has graced all travelers with his strength by clearing the avalanche.” It read.

Aurora stroked his chin thoughtfully, a smile playing at his lips. “I don’t know how he got passed us, or how he did this so quickly, but it’s good to see that boy is taking out his frustration in a productive way. I’ll have to remember to thank him for his hard work the next time I see him.”

I cast a glance towards the demon. “Are you reconsidering your stance on flirting with him?”

He laughed. “Hardly. The boy isn’t my type at all! But he has made things easier for us, has he not? Come on, if we can get through here today then Pinesworth won’t be far off.”

Trekking through the mountains was a lot more peaceful than I had anticipated. The monstrous rats gave way to the occasional wolf, but to be honest the two were so similarly sized and armed that fighting them off was not any more difficult. Besides, the ones who challenged us tended to be ones that had been exiled from their pack and were half-starved as a result. Much better than the half a dozen rats that would come at us all at once.

True to Aurora’s word, we barely managed to be out of the mountains soon after sundown. The pass really had been the best way through. When I looked back in the early morning I noticed that it was not only the flattest and lowest point between mountains, but also situated at was likely the narrowest part. I couldn’t help but marvel just a little at how easy everything had been so far during my time in Grande Mondo.

Two more days’ worth of walking and the snowy tundra gave way to still cold but grassy fields with the occasional forest of pine trees off in the distance. Another two days after that and the walls of Pinesworth came into clear view.

And, you guessed it, that is where I would make my third mistake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW WITH MORE CITY!
> 
> Or “the part where a certain favorite character of Wilo’s turns up”, if you would prefer.

I didn’t need to set foot inside of Pinesworth’s walls to be able to tell what a lively city it was. The area outside of the northern entrance was hustling and bustling with people as it was. Folks who lived outside were going in to visit the markets, and people within the walls were leaving to enjoy a little quiet time. At least that’s the sort of thing I assume it was. That was usually the case in big cities back in the empire I served in.

No one paid us any mind as Uri, Aurora and I made our way through the gate. I was of course looking around and taking in the sights. The main road appeared to lead all the way down to the docks, and lining its sides where merchants and shops of all sorts. Everything looked to be pretty normal, but one thing did catch my eye.

There was a barricade set up near the inside of the wall not more than a few feet from the road. A single member of the royal guard was posted there, watching the crowd with disinterest. I caught his eye briefly but moved on so as not to bother him. Besides, Aurora was trying to get my attention.

“Thank you for escorting us here.” He said, a smile on his face and an arm around Uri’s shoulders. He added jokingly, “I relieve you of you duties now.”

“We’re going to be staying at the inn for a few days.” Uri stated. “You don’t need to be a stranger if you see us. And…thank you, Eric. Really.” She stepped forward and took one of my hands in hers. Unsurprisingly her hands were very warm and soft to the touch. “I will repay you some day. I swear it. I don’t know when or how, but I will. So take care of yourself until then.”

Even I couldn’t help but crack a smile at her words as I met her eyes. “I expect you to keep your word, then. You don’t need to worry about me. You’re the one who was in danger…are still in danger, if I heard right. Don’t fret about repaying me right now. You just take care of whatever it is you need to.”

She gave me a short nod before releasing my hand and heading off with Aurora. Even back then I had a feeling I would be seeing them again, but of course I had no idea when or how. At the time all I really wanted to think about was where I would be going or what I would be doing from there on out. I meandered down the main road a while and decided to stop into a blacksmith’s. His shop was on another road, but I had seen his sign and headed that way.

There was nothing outstanding about his wares, but I decided it was time to spend some of my money. My sword and shield were both old and worn. I’d had them since I first became a soldier. There had been plenty of opportunities for me to get new ones before, but I had had a sort of attachment to them all those times. As it was, I no longer wanted to look at the crests that were emblazoned on both of them. The blacksmith offered me a fair price for them and offered to forge me brand new equipment for a small fee on top of them. I took him up on the offer, paying the fee as a down payment and keeping my belongings until my new ones would be ready in a few days.

Finding that I was now going to be in the city for a while, I headed for the docks. I found Pinesworth to have that familiar “big city” feeling the more I walked, and in some ways it was refreshing. Exotic wares were everywhere the closer I got to the ocean, and a part of me wanted to splurge and buy up every unusual fruit I saw. I resisted, if only on the grounds that I should save what money I had left and that if everything went the way I was hoping I would eventually be able to buy such things in their native lands and thus for a lot cheaper.

The docks themselves were not unusual. Workers carried things on and off of merchant ships, folks on their breaks sat around drinking and chatting or gambling. And of course there was much shouting and barking of orders and cursing. The familiarity of it all on top of not having anyone immediately around me made me feel at ease and I was beginning to relax. It’s not that I dislike crowds or there being people near me, but having folks who want my attention or to converse is tiresome, or if somebody is with me that I need to look after.

While wandering I thought I might try and get a start on finding my way out of the city and further south. I began to ask around and found myself being pointed to a handful of merchants to speak with. I got turned down four times on the grounds of no one wanting some kid on their ship full of valuable goods. I don’t blame them. Even as a soldier there were plenty who only offered their services begrudgingly. The fifth man I asked however was younger than the others, perhaps only five to seven years my senior, and he seemed to find the prospect of my company (and my money too, I’m sure) appealing and said he would gladly take me south in around a week’s time, if I was still up for it by then. I informed him that if nothing else came up I would. He left me his name and where and how I could get in contact with him later.

I still had a couple of hours to kill before the sun would be setting, so I continued my perusing of the docks. In time I left the busy areas and roamed what appeared to be row after row of warehouses. I still passed by the occasional person, be they a dock worker, fisherman, or another person out on a stroll. I stopped and stared out at the ocean at one point, taking in the sight and the smell and the breeze. I was in a foreign land, and maybe I’ve said it too much already, but I still felt like Pinesworth was so familiar in its atmosphere. That comfort was both welcome and somewhat irritating. I wanted to be somewhere I didn’t know, after all.

As I stood there relaxing and contemplating I heard a sound echo from behind me. It was a clatter, like a trash can falling over. I turned around expecting to see a stray cat running off or something similar. What I was met with instead took me by surprise.

Somebody was standing in an alley between two of the warehouses. He younger than me, though still a teenager. At first I thought he was some vagrant or other person down on their luck, or perhaps a punk who was trying to own the area. He was only wearing a pair of green shorts that had seen far better days and an old green cloak. Even his feet were bare. He must have seen me looking his way because his head whipped around briefly before he beckoned me over.

“Psst! You there, come here a moment would you?” he asked just loudly enough that I would hear him.

Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t give my attention to somebody like him, but there was a certain urgency in his tone that I couldn’t ignore. I found my feet approaching him despite myself.

“Why are you hiding?” I asked as I drew nearer.

He looked around again and retreated another step and a half into the alley. I stood at its opening, refusing to go further in. I couldn’t see anyone else waiting inside to ambush me, but I knew better than to wander blindly into alleys with somebody who looked like they were impoverished.

“I have my reasons.” The kid replied quickly. He held my gaze, his purple eyes wide and desperate. “You look like you’re from out of town. And judging by your gear you can handle yourself, too. Please, I need your help.” He begged.

I shifted back a little. Nothing about the situation made me want to lower my guard any. Especially not after all that had happened after my arriving in Grande Mondo. “I don’t know about that. The last few times I helped people it hasn’t exactly gone well for me.” I informed him.

He grimaced and chewed at his lower lip. “I see… I’m sorry to hear that. Even so, would you at least hear me out?”

I released an exasperated sigh. “Alright, alright. I make no guarantees that I’ll help you though, okay?”

“Oh thank goodness…” the kid breathed a sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his short black hair, tucking a short lock behind a pointed ear as he prepared himself to tell his story. “My name is Tael. I used to work in this city.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “’Used to’?”

He rolled his eyes. “I was getting to that! You see…” he lowered his voice a little, despite the two of us still being the only ones around. “…I may or may not have used something I may or may not was supposed to have in the first place in a way that may or may not have been really foolish. And it may or may not have caused a lot of damage…”

I could see where that was going from a mile away. “Are you talking about the place that’s being barricaded and guarded by the northern gate?” Tael gave me a nod. A laid a hand on my face and sighed again. “You aren’t helping your case, but go on.”

“The damage I speak of is an opening to a small cave system beneath the city’s wall. I need somebody to go into those caves and retrieve an item that I dropped.”

“How dangerous is it down there? I assume the guard and barricade aren’t just for decoration.”

“I don’t know.” Tael said with a shrug. “I assume it’s pretty dangerous. I’d go and check for myself but I’m afraid somebody might have heard the explosion and seen me retreating from the spot. I don’t want to go anywhere near there for fear of being recognized.”

I decided not to ask about the ‘explosion’ part of his statement. “Right. And how am I supposed to get passed the guard then?”

“I don’t know that either. I’ve heard all of the guards who are keeping watch there are staying at the inn and often spend their off hours going from tavern to tavern.”

“So you’re telling me to speak with the innkeeper and barkeeps.”

Tael gave me another shrug. “That’s up to you. I just want my item back. Personally I don’t care how you get it as long as it doesn’t involve murder.”

“I can assure you that I have no intention of that.”

He let out a chuckle and grinned at me. “That’s good to hear. I was worried for a second you were just some thug for hire, but it sounds like you got your gear through legitimate means.”

The longer I spoke to this kid, the more I had to wonder if he knew just how shady he was coming off as. I shook my head and again chose to ignore part of what he was saying to me. “Right, well… What exactly am I looking for anyway, assuming I get into that cave?”

Tael shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Yeah, he really was not helping his own case as far as being shady was concerned. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.” He stated, looking me in the eyes again. “You’ll know it when you see it, though, I can assure you. Get it, bring it back here to me, and I’ll give you a nice reward. We got a deal?” he held out a hand to me, and for a moment I was taken aback by how muscular his arm and the portion of his abdomen where his cloak had been pushed aside were. It was around that time I began to believe that he may have been speaking the truth when he had said he used to work in the city and wasn’t just some homeless kid.

“I can’t say I’m happy about this but…” I took a step closer to him, though I didn’t take his hand. “It’s clear to me that whatever I am fetching for you is a stolen item.” It wasn’t clear, but I really couldn’t shake how dirty all of it had felt.

He blinked, eyes widening in surprise. “You could tell?”

I sighed yet again. “It’s obvious!” I rubbed at the crease on my forehead, trying to soothe away a headache I could feel coming on. “How about this: I’ll get it back for you, but you must return it to its rightful owner. Agree to that and I won’t turn you into the guards, nor will I ask for a reward if I can somehow get in.”

The kid perked up greatly at hearing this and he offered his hand again, a huge grin splitting his features. “You drive a hard bargain, but okay!”

Reluctantly I shook hands with Tael. “I’m still not promising that I can get it for you, but I will try.”

“I’ll be waiting for you around here. Take your time.”

With our agreement made, I began the walk back towards the main road. I found the inn not far from the northern gate and wasn’t at all surprised when I spotted Aurora and Uri sitting at a table in a corner of the dining area. I briefly considered the implications it would have if I were to join them, but decided I may as well try to be friendly. Besides…

“I could use your help.” I told them as I sat down after giving them a proper greeting and being invited to.

“You look like it.” Aurora said jokingly. I shot her an annoyed look that only served to make Uri giggle.

“I need to get some information and that isn’t exactly my strong suit.” I admitted.

“What do you need?” Uri asked.

“You two remember the guard and barricade we passed by?” I received a pair of nods. “Supposedly they’re blocking the entrance to a small cave system. I need to get in there, but I don’t think telling the guards that I’m an ex-soldier from a foreign empire is going to work.”

“Say no more.” Aurora said, already getting to his feet.

Without another word he strolled over to the innkeeper and began to speak with her. While Uri and I watched, a serving girl came over and handed me a glass of water and set out a meal that the two had ordered. I said nothing at the amount of food being more than two people could probably eat, and Uri didn’t offer any corrections when three empty plates were set down for us. We helped ourselves to some food while Aurora thanked the innkeeper and moved onto a small group of half-drunk men in another corner.

It was obvious even from our distance that Aurora was making use of his charms and being a little overly-friendly in order to get them talking. He didn’t converse with them longer than a few minutes before he located a maid and the serving girl talking to one another as they left the kitchen. He caught their attention and approached them. I could see by the looks on their faces that they were unhappy about something, and the maid looked like she might even want to cry. Aurora thanked them both and returned to the table.

“Well I’ve got some good news and some bad news.” He stated as he stabbed a cheap steak with his fork and dragged it onto his plate. “The good news is that one of the guards is a notorious lecher. Meaning he should be easy enough for me to drag away from his post.”

“And the bad news?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Bad news is he takes the second night shift. Meaning he’s only out there from about midnight until sunrise.”

I groaned. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do an early morning job. On the contrary I had done plenty of them before just fine. What made this a problem was that I wanted to have at least one night’s rest in a real bed before I had to go traipsing through some cave.

“Can we do this the day after tomorrow, then?” Uri asked, and a part of me wanted to thank her for voicing what was going through my head.

Aurora gave a nod. “I was thinking the same. There isn’t a time limit to this, is there?” he asked me.

“No. I was told to take my time, in fact. But I’ve made a deal with a young merchant at the docks, so we should do this in a week’s time.” I admitted.

“Day after tomorrow it is.” The demon stated. He let out a small huff, setting an elbow on the table and leaning his head on his hand. “I really do not like flirting with people without meaning a word of it, but I suppose if I’m to lead this disgraceful guard from his post I’ll have to make some empty promises.” He glanced over at me. “How long do you think you’ll need down in that cave?”

I shrugged around a mouthful of food. I chewed and swallowed as quickly as I could. “Beats me.”

“Great.” Aurora sat up again and cut into his steak. “I’ll come up with something to get him out of the way for a while.” He assured me.

The rest of our meal passed with little more said on the subject. After we ate, the two invited me to stay in their room. They had booked a large one with four beds, thinking I might join them. I accepted, intending to pay my fair share but they refused on the grounds that it would be part of their repaying me. That night I slept soundly. As much as I didn’t particularly like being in a room with other people, it was something I was used to from living in the barracks for several years.

I slept in almost until noon the following day, more exhausted than I had thought I was. I found my acquaintances downstairs and I could tell from the first snippets of their conversation that I can hear that they had visited a tavern that morning and were going over their plans for the early morning to come. I sat down with them Aurora explained that he’d lead the guard away and Uri and I would go into the cave together. Then as soon as he could, he’d subdue the guard elsewhere and join us. He assured me that he wouldn’t actually hurt the man, nor would it get any of us in trouble. I chose not to ask for details.

The pair left to go browse the markets that afternoon, and I found my way to a park near the inn and spent a few hours just relaxing in the sun on the grass. That night was going to be hectic one way or another, so I didn’t feel bad about letting myself be lazy for a while. That night Uri and I caught a couple hours of sleep before Aurora woke us. We left the inn around one in the morning and made our way through the silent streets towards the guarded cave entrance.


	6. Chapter 6

“Please don’t hurt him or anything, Rory. I’m already helping a thief, I don’t need ‘assaulting a guard’ added to my record.” I muttered softly.

“Relax. I’ve already told you that I won’t injure even a single hair on his head.” Aurora assured me. “You two just be ready to get in there. I’ll catch up with you shortly.”

Aurora stood up to his full height and stepped out onto the road from where we were hiding between buildings. We were just down the street from where the cave entrance was located, and Aurora walked with confidence as he approached the guard. Uri and I peered around the corner carefully, watching in awe at the way Aurora’s hips swayed as he walked calmly towards his target. A little to my surprise, the guard perked up the moment he noticed the womanly man approaching him. Aurora waved and stepped off the road to speak with him face-to-face.

We couldn’t hear what either of them were saying, but it was easy to tell by the tender, flirtatious way Aurora stroked the guard’s chin and the way the guard was grinning that things were going well. Finally Aurora motioned off to one side, towards a darker region of the city, and the guard nodded. He slipped an arm around Aurora’s waist, resting a hand on his hip, and the two of them quietly left the entrance unattended. Uri and I waited a full two minutes for them to get out of eye and earshot before hurrying to the cave. We found a rope ladder hanging down into it, presumably put there by the guards in case they or somebody else fell in. I gave it a few firm tugs to make sure it was secure before leading the way down.

“I should have brought a lantern or something…” I mumbled once both of us had descended into the depths. The light from the torches above barely illuminated the area immediately below the ladder, and everything else was pitch dark. Beside me Uri chuckled. She snapped her fingers, a motion I assume was purely meant for effect, and a number of small balls of fire appeared around her. With a wave of her hand, approximately half of them flew forward, illuminating a good portion of our path. “Well that’s convenient.” I admitted.

The caves themselves were narrow, and I couldn’t help but wonder if somebody as tall as Aurora would be able to stand upright. Even Uri was ducked down a little by instinct of not wanting to hit her head. I didn’t get a whole lot of chance to think on it, however, as we were quickly assaulted by a number of giant insects. Combat in the small tunnel rendered my sword almost useless, as I barely had enough room to maneuver. On the other hand, the conditions were nearly perfect for Uri to use her magic. The confined space meant all she had to do was step in front of me and unleash a blast of fire. The bugs were roasted alive, their carcasses littering the floor of the cave.

“Something tells me you should be the one to take point.” I told her.

“I’m not sure I have it in me to keep that up, but I suppose for now it wouldn’t hurt.” She replied.

The crunching of cooked insect limbs beneath my boots and Uri’s feet nearly drowned out Aurora’s voice as he called out to us. We stopped and turned to meet him as he approached. He took in the sight around us and laughed.

“Well what do you know? Giant bugs in a cave. How cliché.” He stated.

“Where’s the guard?” I asked, ignoring his comment.

He breathed a sigh. “Really now, do you not trust me that much?”

“Answer the question, please.”

He waved me off. “I put him to sleep. He’s resting against the barricade and will be for another hour. I have a minimal amount of skill in hypnosis and memory alteration. When he wakes he’ll think the beautiful woman he met was all just a dream. That said, we should hurry and do this as quickly as possible.”

I decided to leave it at that for now. We didn’t know how big the caves were, and with a small time limit I didn’t want us to waste even another second. We proceeded forward, guided by Uri’s fireballs which she also left behind us every now and again to ensure we could find our way back. More insects were disturbed and tried to attack us the further we went in, and I learned that a whip was not all that Aurora had packing. In stark contrast to Uri’s magic that lit our path, shards of ice pierced through the tough exoskeletons of the bugs that charged us.

“So tell me,” I began, navigating the newest corpse pile, “how is a demon able to use ice magic?”

“There are more than fire demons in this world, you know. Although to be fair ice magic is a trick I’ve picked up out of boredom, not something I was born wielding.” He admitted.

We reached the end of the caves around twenty minutes later, dozens and dozens of dead bugs in our wake. A large room waited for us, covered floor-to-ceiling in spider silk. I let out a groan and turned my gaze towards the ceiling.

“Of course there would be a giant boss spider. What else would live in a cave full of giant bugs?” I muttered.

Clinging to the ceiling was a gigantic tarantula. Its leg span was easily eight feet wide and for a second I could understand what arachnophobes must feel whenever they see even the tiniest of spiders. In the light from Uri’s fire, I noticed a glint in the webbing near where it sat. The spider let out a shriek and scurried down the wall.

“You are here for shiny!?” it hissed. “You no take shiny! Shiny mine!”

Trying to argue with a giant, pissed off spider as it charges you is not a smart thing to do. All of us realized this and fortunately dodged out of the way before it collided with any of us. In the space the room allowed us, my sword was finally able to be put to use. Uri unfortunately was too exhausted to do more than keep the place lit for us, so Aurora and I had to work together to drive off the angry arachnid. Or so I would have liked to be able to claim.

In reality my foot got tangled in the web on the floor and I hit the ground on my back pretty hard. As I gasped to regain the breath that had been knocked out of me, the spider pounced. I managed to get my shield in front of me in time to block its strike, but I didn’t have the strength to throw it off. While it fought to overwhelm me, Aurora took the chance to create a long, jagged icy spear, which he rammed through one of the spider’s legs, severing it entirely. The creature shrieked in pain and leapt off of me. It shrieked and cursed incoherently before scurrying back up the wall on its remaining seven legs. There was a small opening near the ceiling that it retreated into. Aurora held a hand out to me and with a groan I got back onto my feet.

“I think it’s safe to retrieve that object now.” He stated, pointing at the glint on the ceiling.

“Any ideas on how to get it down?” I asked.

“I got this.” Uri stated. “I have just enough left in me.”

She pitched the last of her unused fireballs at the ceiling and the webs burned away enough that the object fell to the ground near our feet. I picked it up, wiped the dirt away, and got a good look at it. It was a golden, heart-shaped broach set with rubies and diamonds. Looking around the room a little more thoroughly, we agreed that it must be what we were looking for and made our way back to the entrance. Uri collected all of her lights as we went, leaving only dead bugs to give away that anyone had been down there. We climbed the rope ladder and I noted that guard was indeed sound asleep with his back against the barricade. Satisfied with our work, we hurried back towards the inn to get a few more hours of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Of course, Uri and I slept in a little bit that morning. Over breakfast I told them I would take the broach back to Tael, and that I wanted to check in with the blacksmith who was making my new equipment. Curious about the kind of person this “Tael” was, Aurora said he would come with, and Uri decided to tag along as well. A part of me wanted to tell them not to, as the more people there were the more likely somebody would take notice. I didn’t exactly want to put more stress on the kid, but at the same time if something went wrong and he decided I wasn’t trustworthy having more people on my side would be good. In the end I said nothing and let them do as they please.

True to my word, I stopped at the blacksmith’s on the way to the docks. I was expecting him to tell me that he was nearly ready to start work on my stuff, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was completely done. When I said as such, he laughed and admitted he had a lot of free time on his hands so he was able to take care of my order quickly. I gave him my old shield and sword as I had promised, and he brought out my new ones. While I inspected the craftsmanship, he ran a thumb over the crest on my sword.

“This isn’t really my place to be asking this, but I’ve been wondering. Why would a soldier of the Snowstream Empire be down here in Grande Mondo? And why would he be getting rid of his gear?” the blacksmith asked.

I affixed my new equipment to my body and shook my head at his questions. “I’ve some disagreements with the empire. That’s all I’m willing to say.” I answered plainly.

He gave a shrug. “Well whatever those disagreements are, I’m happy to get my hands on these. I should think there’s a lot I can learn about Snowstream craftsmanship by looking them over. You take care now, and if you ever need anything else don’t be afraid to come to me again!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I stated, barely meaning it. I was going to be leaving Pinesworth soon and likely would never return, after all.

While I was picking up my gear, Uri had pardoned herself and gone across the street to another shop. She and Aurora were waiting for me when I stepped back outside. I noticed Uri had something like a wand tucked into the waistline of her clothing. A cheap red crystal adorned the top of it, and the rest appeared to be normal wood with a few decorative carvings.

Probably having seen my curious gaze, Uri piped up with a quick explanation. “It’ll take some time before I’m back to my full strength, so I thought something to amplify my magic would be useful. Even a spirit like me can make use of a wand.”

I hadn’t had much exposure to magic, but her explanation sounded good, so I decided to buy it. With our new items obtained we finally made our way down to the docks. I led them along for a while, not quite remembering just how far I had walked and starting to worry that I had gone too far and passed where Tael said he would be hiding. Thankfully I recognized something in the space between two warehouses and breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t gotten myself somewhat lost.

However the time for celebration wasn’t yet upon me. Although I was in the right place, Tael was nowhere to be seen. I looked about, hoping to see some sign of his having been there, but nothing stood out. Just as I began to wonder if he had been taken in by the guards, Aurora called and beckoned me over.

“Eric!”

He had wandered a little further down the alley and was pointing to something on the ground. I approached and spotted what vaguely looked like a white arrow scratched onto the wooden dock. Beside it sat the rock that had likely been used to draw with. The arrow itself pointed to a door on the side of one of the warehouses. I tried the doorknob, and sure enough it turned and opened. I didn’t even have to tell Uri and Aurora to follow me, they were already at my back.

Inside were aisles and aisles of crates, barrels, sacks, and other things piled from floor to ceiling. Shelves lined the walls, equally covered in boxes and bags of who-knows-what. We wandered along the wall, peering down the aisles for the person I was looking for. Somewhat to my surprise he was easy to spot. He was sitting on a crate in one of the corners, idly kicking some rocks. The sound of them tumbling across the floor was what had clued me into his being there in the first place.

The moment he spotted me he hopped off the crate and hurried to meet me halfway.

“You’re back! I… I wasn’t actually expecting you to come back.” He admitted. “Sorry about not meeting you outside. Some more guards came by to scour the area and I got really nervous. Scribbling down an arrow was about all I could do to tell you where I was.” He looked at my companions and then back at me. “So… You have it, right?”

I handed him the broach. “This is what you wanted, right?”

He took it carefully, face lighting up in delight. “It is! Thank you! Thank you so much!” he exclaimed, bowing his head to Aurora, Uri, and me. “I’ll just put this back with the others and everything should be okay. I heard the guards saying they were going to have that old merchant go through his inventory again just in case. Once he finds it, they’ll just think he missed it the first time or something.”

As he led the way down the aisle, I had to ask him a question. “Why did you steal that, of all things? Sure it looks expensive, but couldn’t there have been other things you could have taken?”

Tael hummed thoughtfully. “To be honest, I’m not really sure why I stole it. I was unloading the guy’s ship like I was supposed to, but another worker bumped into me. He was probably drunk or something. They usually are. Anyway I dropped the box I was carrying so naturally I had to pick everything back up while he and everyone else had a laugh at how ‘clumsy’ I was. The merchant himself was furious with me, of course, and started yelling. I was frustrated, and while I was putting everything back in its place I saw the broach and… I dunno, I guess I just wanted to do something to get back at the man. So when he wasn’t looking I opened the box again and took the first thing I saw.” He stopped and faced one of the shelves. He heaved himself up onto it so that he was standing on one of the lower racks. He reached for a small green chest that had been just out of his reach and pulled it into his arm before hopping back down. He opened it up, the lock apparently having been busted when it had been dropped, and put the broach right on top. He closed it up and Aurora helped him to put it back where it belonged.

“Anyway, thanks again for getting it back.” He stated. “If you don’t mind me asking, who’re these two?” he pointed at Uri and Aurora.

“I don’t mind.” Uri replied amicably. “The name’s Uri. I’m a fire spirit who was saved by Eric not long ago.”

“I’m Aurora, but do call me Rory.” He said, holding his hand out to Tael. The boy shook it. “I’m a friend of Uri’s. I’m only here to look out for her for a while.”

“Nice! I’m Tael. That’s with an ‘A-E’ not an ‘A-I’. As you could probably guess, I used to be a dock worker.”

“While we’re on the subject of your ‘used to be’, what do you plan to do now? I hope it isn’t more thievery.” I muttered.

“Nah, I don’t plan on doing more of that. Heck, I didn’t plan to do it in the first place. Anyway, I’ve actually procured a small vessel while you were away and I plan to make my way to the east so I can visit the capital.”

“Legally?” I had to ask.

“Of course! I’m not poor, and boats that can carry three or four people along the shore aren’t exactly expensive. Actually now that I think about it, would you three like to come along? It’s not a long trip, but it’d sure be boring to make by myself.”

“That all depends.” I stated. “I can’t speak for these two, but I’m looking to head further south. I’ve got an offer lined up to go that way here. Think I’ll be able to find a better way from the capital?”

Tael put a hand to his chin and gave it some thought. “Frozen Towers is a big city. You might find a passenger ship that’d be more comfortable to make that voyage on. Other than that…” he hesitated. “I’m gonna be honest, this information didn’t come from a very reliable source. I’ve heard tell there’s a special underground road somewhere in the capital that’s meant for soldiers and royalty to use in cases of emergency. Supposedly it stretches the whole sea to the south and comes out somewhere in the Deadlands. I don’t know how helpful that kind of information will be, but there you have it.”

I shook my head at this news. “I have a habit of not believing mere rumors. That’s interesting, but I have no need for knowing such things. Now the bit about passenger ships has my attention.”

“Well there you have it.” Tael laughed. He turned his attention to Uri and Aurora again. “What about you two? Are you going to join us?”

Uri frowned, clearly a bit worried about the prospect of being at sea. But that wasn’t all she was concerned about. “Traveling so far in this region is dangerous. I’m curious; can you protect yourself? I want to know if you are able to handle yourself in combat.”

I was a bit surprised that I hadn’t asked the same thing. I had to wonder if I had grown a bit too comfortable with having two other capable fighters with me and hadn’t thought of it.

“Of course I can!” Tael announced, thumping his chest with his fist proudly. “I haven’t put much practice in lately, but I have experience in a fight.”

“Are you a rogue of some sort?” Aurora asked. “You have the build of one. You’re small and lithe.”

Tael laughed and waved that assumption away. “Nah! I’m not interested in that fragile speedster and glass cannon kind of stuff. I’m actually an alchemist by trade. I specialize in medicinal elixirs and the like. Again I haven’t gotten to practice that sort of thing for a while, but I can assure you that I’m as good as any two-bit potion seller you’ll find in this town.”

I found myself staring at him with wide eyes. If I had to guess it, I would have gone with Aurora’s assumption of him being accustomed to quick, deadly strikes meant to keep him out of the fray. To hear that he was actually a healer was…jarring. I’d never met somebody who practiced anything related to the field he claimed to be trained in who had as much musculature as he did.

“That’s very fitting for a fairy.” Aurora laughed.

“Isn’t it?” Tael chuckled.

I blinked. “Wait, you’re a fairy?” I asked.

Sure, Tael was a little short, but nothing outside the realm of possibility for a human. Not to mention he didn’t appear to have any wings, and “magical”, “woodsy”, and other words one might associate with a fairy were not things that came to mind when I looked at him. “Mischievous” sure, but that was sort of normal for a kid his age.

“I’m what’s sometimes called a ‘city fairy.’” He explained. “We’re the result of generations of humans and fairies inter-breeding. We don’t have the same connections with nature as our fairy ancestors do, but we’re certainly more magically attuned than the majority of humans.” He gestured with a thumb to his back. “My wings are made of light, and I can hide them so as not to stand out in a crowd.” I wanted to interject that a shirtless teenager in green shorts and a green cloak with purple markings tattooed on his face made him stand out plenty, but decided not to. “Speaking of that, I should tell you lot that I’m incapable of flight. So don’t expect me to be able to scope out an area or something like that. Also I know I said we’re more magically attuned than humans, but I don’t use magic.”

“Don’t, or can’t?” Uri inquired.

“Don’t.” Tael stated simply, offering no explanation beyond that.

“Well, I must admit you’re more prepared than I thought you’d be.” I cut in. “Having an alchemist along is great, but that isn’t exactly useful in the heat of battle. We did ask if you could handle yourself in a fight.”

“And I said I can take care of myself.” He stressed. “Here, lemme show you.”

He led us back down the aisle to the crate he had been sitting on when we came in. Beside it sat a messenger bag that I soon learned was packed to the point of bulging with herbs, bottles, and various emergency and first aid supplies. Along with it rest a small wooden shield and a fairly well crafted spear. He picked all three of them up, slinging the bag over his shoulder and holding the spear and shield up to show us.

“I picked these up a few months ago when I had the cash. I thought I’d be good to have a weapon I’m used to for when I eventually left this place.” He explained. “So you don’t need to worry about me when the fight is on!” he grinned and strapped both spear and shield to himself.

As we left the warehouse, I had to wonder what kind of alchemist and fairy wields a spear and makes a living loading and unloading ships. In the end I decided it was probably best not to question it. Tael had a way forward for me, and Uri and Aurora seemed to have given their approval of him. We followed Tael’s lead along the docks, the kid occasionally looking a bit uneasy walking by people who might recognize him. Fortunately no one stopped us, even as we left the city and had to pass by the guards.

The vessel Tael had spoken of was a small sailboat that had been tied up at a smaller dock just outside the city. There were others with it, and Tael showed the guard in charge of looking after them the paperwork that proved his ownership. While we got aboard, Tael explained the route we’d be taking. We were of course heading east, and would remain close to shore. We would stop and rest for the night near the base of the mountain range that made traveling that way on foot impossible. After that, it’d be more traveling until close to evening when we should be able to see the lights of Frozen Towers.

With all of us informed, Tael finished our preparations and we set sail…

…towards where I would make my fourth mistake.


	8. Chapter 8

As we drew near to the capital it became apparent why the city was called Frozen Towers. At the city’s heart stood a castle, whose four towers stood proudly above the city. All over the buildings were covered in ice and snow, which reflected the bright mid-morning sunlight beautifully. I would have marveled about its majesty aloud to those I was with, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was…off.

“That’s odd…” I heard Tael mutter beside me. “While the name has always been appropriate, the whole city has never been this blanketed with snow before.”

His remark, while not quite what I was thinking about, only served to confirm that my suspicions about the city were warranted. We were nearly at the docks for privately-owned ships when it struck me what felt the most wrong. I opened my mouth to say something, but it was Aurora who said it first.

“Where are the dock workers? Or any people in general?”

Despite it being nearly mid-day, there was no one around. Not a soul was prowling around the docks. Not a sound came from the markets. And the streets were barren. Tael tied our boat and helped us onto the dock. Cautiously we began to roam the city.

A shiver wracked Uri’s figure and she wrapped her arms about herself. Her eyes flickered around us, as if searching for something. “Stay on your guard, everyone.” She whispered. “This feeling… There is definitely malicious intent within this city.”

“You can tell?” I asked.

“To some extent, yes.” She answered. “I… I don’t want to say I know for certain, but look around us. All of the doors and windows in this market are frozen over. No smoke is coming from the chimneys. Even the houses you can see down the side roads are like this. I hate to think what that means for the people who might be inside but… Well, I think you can understand what I am trying to say.”

I could feel myself breaking out into a cold sweat. From the looks on Aurora’s and Tael’s faces, they too were concerned.

“Have you heard anything about this?” I asked the fairy.

He shook his head. “Not a word. The closest I’ve heard about this was that it had been unusually cold, but to be honest it’s been a very cold year in general. No one was really paying it any mind. So whatever’s going on here is entirely new.”

I frowned. In barely two days’ time the capital had become a frozen ghost town. Indeed, it seemed there was foul play afoot. The four of us agreed that we should try our luck at getting into the castle. We trudged through the snow and ice on the roads towards the city center. As expected, there were no guards posted and we were able to walk right into the main courtyard without a problem. It wasn’t until we approached the doors of the castle that we were attacked.

Seven guards appeared as if out of nowhere, all striking with the intent to kill. We managed to avoid them, if only just barely. We were scattered in the process, but still within shouting distance of one another.

“Do not kill them!” Uri shouted, ducking out of the way of one of the guard’s sword strikes. “These people are under a spell! Subdue them, but do not kill them!”

“Leave this to me, then!” Tael shouted back, blocking another guard with his shield. “Distract them for me!”

That was easy enough, for the most part. I already had three attacking me, Uri had one, and Aurora was dealing with two more. Tael was handling the one on him while he fumbled with one hand in his bag. He let out a triumphant laugh as he extracted a vial of white powder. He uncorked it, covered part of the opening with his thumb to restrict the flow, and flung some of it into the guard’s eyes. The man staggered back, rubbing his eyes vigorously. A few seconds later he collapsed onto the ground.

Apparently having gotten the idea, Aurora breathed in a deep breath and dragged the ice at our feet up and over the guards’ feet, holding them in place. Tael hurried over to blow more of the dust at them before following the demon to repeat the process with the remaining four. The confrontation ended almost as quickly as it started, and Aurora freed all six people from his ice.

“Sleep dust.” Tael stated, fitting the cork back onto the nearly-empty vial. “I may specialize in healing, but I’ve dabbled in things like this on occasion.” With a grin he tucked it back into his bag.

“We should get these guards inside. They might die if they sleep out here.” I stated.

The others agreed. While myself and the other two males lifted or dragged the seven guards along with us, Uri set to defrosting the doors. She managed to get them opened and we hauled everyone inside. She saw a crude wooden bar hanging on one side of the doors, lifted it, and dropped it into place to lock the doors shut behind us should anyone from the outside try to get in while the place was vulnerable. Meanwhile the rest of us got the seven guards huddled together in a corner where they weren’t so likely to freeze.

“So, any idea where the guy in charge might be?” Tael asked no one in particular.

I scanned the large entry hall. There was a grand stairway in front of us that lead up to what was probably the throne room on a sort-of balcony. On either side was a hallway, likely used more by the staff than anyone important. I made my way over to the stairs.

“Well if this place is anything like the Empire’s mansions and palaces, it’ll be this way.” I remarked.

The others fell into step behind me. My hunch was correct, and we were greeted at the top of the stairs by two thrones; a large one that stood in the center of the raised platform and a smaller one that sat off to one side of it. “A prince or princess…” my mind filled in for me. I didn’t spend too long studying them. Instead I peered down both halls that flanked the balcony. I motioned for the others to follow me down one.

“I get the feeling this is the way we want to go.” I told them quietly, suddenly aware that we hadn’t encountered any resistance since we got inside.

We wandered down the wing, remaining as quiet as possible and on high alert. We turned a corner and I stopped suddenly, helding my arm out to halt the others. Before any of them could question what I was doing, I drew my sword, eyes trained on a lone figure standing beside an ornate double-door.

“That ain’t no suit of armor.” I stated.

As if on cue, the statuesque set of plate mail turned towards us, drawing his own battleaxe. If I had to guess, I would have called him the captain of the guards. And if it were any other situation, I would have promptly laughed at myself for thinking something so cliché.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, something that resembles plot! =O

“Eric, I would have to disagree with your assessment.” Uri muttered beside me. “That thing is empty, no more than a puppet being controlled by somebody.”

The suit of armor swung its battle axe, successfully splitting our small group in two. Aurora took that moment to freeze its legs and feet to the floor. Following his lead, Uri flung a fireball its way, amplified by the wand she carried. Even slightly powered up, the fire was simply deflected by the metal suit.

“Crap!” I spat. “Guys I’m afraid my sword is going to be useless here.” I held up my shield and blocked the next swing of the axe, protecting Uri in the process. “There’s no way my sword can pierce this thing’s armor!”

To all of our horror, the ice around the suit’s feet started to crack. After only a few seconds, one of its feet broke free and it began tugging at its other one to get it out, too. Aurora cursed and announced that he was running low on magic. Uri too wasn’t sure how much she had left in her.

“So it’s piercing you need, huh?” Tael asked. “Alright then… Eric, if you can distract that thing, I might be able to fine a weak point. Uri, I think you’re better suited to taking this thing out, so come with me. Aurora, help Eric. Restrain it as best you can!”

It was a better plan than I had in mind, which amounted to attacking until it got tired. I began yelling at it, banging on my shield whenever I could. I figured the loud noises would distract it, and it seemed to be working. I blocked another heavy swing of its axe as Aurora and Uri switched sides. Aurora tried again to freeze it in place, but only managed to catch one of its legs. With a muttered curse, he did what he could to build up more ice on the one leg. Tael hurried around behind the suit, Uri slipping beneath a flailing arm after him. The suit tried to turn and swat at them, but another harsh sound created by my sword striking my shield pulled its attention back to me.

Presumably having run out of magic, Aurora broke out his whip and snagged the suit’s free arm, pulling the whip taut to try and prevent it from moving so freely. Through the commotion I was making, I could just barely hear Tael shouting something to Uri, and I saw a fireball get tossed his way. I couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, but the next thing I knew Tael let out a cry and had plunged his spear into one of the back knee joints that was without protection. Uri focused every last bit of magic she had in her into one blast, making the fire that had been on the tip of Tael’s spear erupt and consume the entirety of the suit’s interior. That did the trick, and the suit shuttered before falling apart all over the floor. Both Uri and Aurora sat down upon the floor, exhausted from overuse of their magic.

“Good work, team.” I sighed, also feeling a bit strained.

Only Tael seemed to be in decent shape. He rifled through his bag and withdrew three little vials of liquid; two were blue and one was red. He passed the blue ones to the magic users and the red one to me.

“Drink these.” He instructed. “Nothing beats a good, honest rest, but they should keep you going a while longer.”

Without any complaints the three of us drank the contents down. Almost immediately I could feel the effects. It was a strange, refreshing feeling. Like my muscles were relaxing and I felt a bit reenergized. Uri seemed to perk up as well, and Aurora breathed a contented sigh before standing again.

“Let me guess, you made these.” He stated, collecting Uri’s vail from her and handing both of theirs back to Tael.

“Of course I did.” He stated, grinning broadly as he took all three containers back and put them away. “Making sure people can stay on their own two-or-more feet is what I do best. Those potions should have restored some of your strength or magic. Again, an actual rest will always be the best thing for you, but in a pinch my potions’ll do.”

“Well for what it’s worth, thanks.” I told him.

Uri finally got back to her own feet as well. Her eyes were trained on the doors the suit of armor had been guarding, and my eyes turned to them as well. “I don’t think we’re going to find the source of this ice behind there.” She stated. “But we should definitely see what that thing was guarding.”

Carefully, I put a hand on the handle of one of the double doors. The others stood behind me, ready to go on the offensive again if they had to. Slowly I turned the handle and pushed the door open. With caution I took a step into what appeared to be an elaborately decorated sitting room. A finely dressed middle-aged man stood abruptly from where he had been sitting in an armchair. His face and eyes lit up when he saw us.

“You… Who are you and how did you get in here? How did you get passed that…that _thing_ that was keeping me trapped in here?” the man asked us. He was not angry, just alarmed and hopeful that rescue had come to him.

“We’re travelers.” I answered him simply. “We were intending to pass through the city but noticed something wrong.”

“Then you have seen the conditions outside. Please tell me, what is going on out there?”

Tael gave him a brief rundown of how everything was frozen over and not a soul was about seemingly anywhere in the city. Uri then added that some of his guards and that suit of armor were under somebody’s control. I didn’t ask, but part of me wondered just how Uri was able to know this for certain.

The man breathed a heavy sigh before standing up straight and addressing us properly. “My name is Alfred, King of Frozen Towers. Allow me to explain what I know about the situation at hand. Late in the night, perhaps not long after midnight, it began to snow heavily upon the city. Frozen Towers is no stranger to snow, but there was something odd about this stuff. It lulled my guards and servants to sleep, and my daughter, Princess Julie, took it upon herself to see if there was anything she could do to help. You see, she has some knowledge of the magical arts and has been in training for many years. None of her teachers have been in the castle for a few days, and so she was the most qualified to investigate. I… I am sad to say that despite her precautions, she was overcome just like the others was and forced into sleep. However unlike them she almost immediately got back on her feet and…and she left the castle grounds in a trance. Her pet was able to give chase but I… I…” He laid his face in his hands, trying to keep it together as best as he could. Aurora stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. “I tried to go after her, I really did. But the guards woke and chased me back inside. I had to hide in here, in my chambers, just to get away from them! And when I tried to leave that suit of armor suddenly came to life and attacked me! I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep and I am so worried for my daughter and my kingdom. I don’t know what is happening! Please, if you can, hel-”

The doors to King Alfred’s chambers were suddenly thrown wide open and a young teenage girl rushed into the room. She shoved passed me and my companions with no regard for us whatsoever and stood in front of the king. She saluted him and, without waiting for him to respond, began speaking.

“King Alfred! I bring news of Princess Julie! I followed her all throughout the night, just as I had said I would. She traveled far, far north, to the old abandoned shrine encased in ice!” she stated, speaking almost too quickly to understand. “The entrance was open, something I have never seen! She was able to go inside, but I couldn’t follow her! More ice suddenly came up from the ground and no amount of scratching would make it go away! So I ran back to the castle as quickly as I could, but the stupid guards kept attacking me even though I kept telling them who I was! What assholes!” She stomped her foot on the ground as she finished her explanation. There was a brief moment of silence wherein she suddenly seemed to realize that she and the king were not the only people in the room. She gazed around at the four of us before cocking her head to one side and asking, “Who are these people?”

King Alfred sighed and began to introduce us. “These are the people who managed to subdue the guards and take care of the thing that has been keeping me trapped in this room. Candy, treat them with respect.”

The girl, Candy, promptly bowed to us. “Thank you for helping King Alfred!” she shouted. I was beginning to wonder if she had an indoor voice at all. It certainly wouldn’t have been the strangest thing about her if she didn’t. Candy was obviously not human. She was built like one, but she was covered from head to toe in brown fur and sported the eyes, ears, tail, whiskers, and claws of a cat. She was dressed only in a white tank top and pink short shorts. Her eyes were bright green, and her shoulder-length hair was pink. Overall she was taller than Tael, but still shorter than me.

As quickly as she had thanked us, she turned back around to look the king in the eye again. “Well, now that I know you’re safe, I’m going to hurry back to try and help Julie again. I promise I will not return without her safely by my side!”

With another salute, Candy turned around and bolted from the room on all fours, springing over the collapsed suit of armor in the hallway and sprinting down it, out of sight. The king released another heavy sigh.

“My apologies. Candy can be quite the handful, but she really does mean well.” He stated. “Now, where were we?”

“Pardon me, may I interject?” Uri asked. The king nodded. “I believe I may know something about the Ice Shrine that feline spoke of. If I may, I would like to offer you my services in rescuing the princess from there.”

“If you’re going, then I will too. I can’t have you going to a place like that on your own.” Aurora stated.

“So I don’t really have any noble reason for going, but I want to know what’s going on here. I’m in too.” Tael said with a grin.

I groaned. “Now I feel obligated to go. So I will, too.”

“You four have my thanks. I am afraid I have not gotten your names, however.” We gave them and he nodded. “Very well. Eric, Uri, Rory, and Tael, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your cooperation. As Candy had said, the shrine is far to the north, and it may take you most of the day to reach it. I will pray for your safety and for the safe return of my daughter. I will remain in here, as it seems to be the one place I am allowed to be.”

I could see Aurora roll his eyes at the word ‘pray’, but the four of us thanked him anyway and departed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric and company arrive at the Ice Shrine and make their way inside in search of the princess! Amidst various icy monsters, they also find the fleet-footed feline who had interrupted their discussion with the king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wtf, this chapter has a summary? Yeah...these may or may not get those depending on my mood. And my mood for this chapter was to actually give one!

Our trek to the north in order to reach the Ice Shrine was an exceptionally cold one. The snow was piled up so deeply that I was nearly up to my waist in it, and Tael actually was half-buried. I expected that he would have complained about the cold at some point, but all he did was draw his cloak tighter around himself. He didn’t even shiver all that much. Aurora of course kept an arm around Uri the entire way, helping to keep her warm.

The shrine itself was easy to spot. It stood out from the vast, frozen fields as a small building built primarily out of blocks of ice. I assumed it had been built that way because it never got warm enough for them to melt. I was familiar with structures like it, actually. Plenty of people back in the Snowstream Empire build their homes that way. Heck, there are even entire towns made of ice.

We approached the building, and I couldn’t help but express aloud how I wondered how a princess and Candy both could have been inside. The shrine was tiny, offering barely enough room for a person and a half to be inside from the looks of the exterior.

“There’s probably more to it underground.” Uri stated. “I can… I can sense a familiar magic coming from inside.”

All three of us turned to her, clearly expecting her to elaborate. She frowned and chewed at her bottom lip nervously. If you asked me, I would have said she was debating just how much to tell us, if anything at all.

At last she seemed to settle on what she wanted to say. “When you have been near another magic user for long enough, you can start to feel that person’s own unique magic. It’s like a fingerprint. But it takes a lot of exposure to recognize. I could tell you if I sensed Rory’s, for example. But the princess’s? Not at all. This magic belongs to somebody I know. I…” she hesitated. “I had a feeling I knew who was behind all of this in Frozen Towers, but standing here makes me sure of it.” She turned a serious look to the three of us. “Everyone be careful. I can tell you that the one inside is very powerful, and very dangerous.”

I gave her warning a nod before stepping up to the door of the shrine. Like all the other pieces of wood on the building’s exterior, it was covered in a thick layer of ice. I noticed a few claw marks near the hinges, and assumed they had been Candy’s doing. Thinking of her, it suddenly struck me as odd that she was not around. Because of this, it didn’t surprise me when the door swung open easily.

“Looks like whoever is inside wants people to come in now.” I heard Aurora mutter behind me.

I couldn’t have agreed more if I wanted to. Candy’s claws had barely made a scratch in the ice, and yet the hinges were completely thawed. As I suspected from Uri’s statement and my own assessment, the interior was a single tiny room. A trapdoor lay open in its center, a ladder leading down into the earth. I led the way down and found that the walls and ceiling of the place was caked over in ice, and the floor had a bit of frost as well that crunched under my boots. There was even a cold fog in the air that made everything look a little blurry. I waited for my companions and we began exploring.

“So, think this place is a maze?” Tael asked at the first juncture. “And if it is, think it’s one of those where putting a hand on the wall will get us to the end or do you think that’ll just bring us back to the start?”

Uri stepped in front of us and looked up and down each way we could go. After a moment she announced that she would be able to guide us through by feeling out the magic that permeated the area. So we fell into step behind her.

The area was very much like a maze, and part of me was grateful that Uri had a few tricks up her sleeve, even if it seemed like all it amounted to was her metaphorically sniffing out a person we were tracking. The maze also had its fair share of hazards in the form of monsters lurking in the halls and around every corner. The most annoying of which were icy wisps that often got the jump on us, as they blended into their surroundings and the fog perfectly. Thankfully, Uri’s fire made quick work of them.

The more difficult enemies were, surprisingly enough, a number of colorful slimes that oozed their way around the place. We learned with time that each type had their own weaknesses, and worked to exploit them when we could. The green slimes went down easily to Uri’s fire, the pink ones to Aurora’s ice, the pale-yellow ones to my sword, and the brown ones to Tael’s spear. Somewhere along the line, the fairy made a joke about them looking a bit like ice cream, and somehow after that we began referring to them as Mint, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Chocolate respectively.

As we rounded a corner some ways in, my eyes caught a flash of pink hair a brown tail whipping around another corner ahead of us. I wasn’t certain, but I felt that it had been Candy, who would have been very clearly still making her way through the maze. I wasn’t able to call out to her, however, as we were once more jumped by ice wisps. After the short scuffle, I asked the others if they had seen her. Uri and Tael hadn’t, but Aurora backed me up in thinking he had and agreeing it was probably the feline.

I couldn’t help but notice that our next turn was where I had suspected I saw her. As we continued on, I began to notice little marks on the icy floor, spaced fairly evenly apart. I knelt down to take a look at a pair of rather distinct ones, and my only conclusion was that they had come from the claws of something as it was running along. It was all the more reason to believe that Candy was just ahead of us.

The place Uri led us into was a slightly more open room than we had started in, with another ladder leading even deeper into the ground. Unlike the previous floor, this one had only a wide, long hallway with only one way to go at its end. When I set foot at the bottom, I once more spotted the feline as she barreled down the last portion of the room and skidded around the corner. This time, I had the opportunity to call out to her.

“Candy!” I shouted. “Hold up! We’re here to help you!”

After a moment, the girl in question peeked around the corner and stared curiously at myself and my companions.

“You four are…” her ears perked up in recognition. “Oh! That’s right, I saw you at the castle! You were talking to King Alfred.” With some caution she approached us, walking on two legs. “Did he send you here to rescue Princess Julie, too?”

“Something like that.” I replied. “We mostly came here of our own accord. We _are_ here to help, though.”

Candy nodded. “If the king trusts you, then so shall I. I can smell her, though. Princess Julie is nearby.” She pointed down the hall. “There’s another hallway parallel to this one, and there was a door at its end. I think she’s in there.”

“I would agree. The source of this magic is mere feet away.” Uri stated.

Somehow my ability to separate Uri sensing magic from an animal sniffing its way around became harder to do. Still, the five of us slowly made our way along, Candy continuing to walk on two legs. Sure enough, when we turned the corner there was another hallway nearly identical to the one we just left and running back the other way. We approached the door with the utmost caution, all weapons drawn and ready for anything that we may come to find within.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time for a boss battle!

Behind the closed door was a decently sized room. At the back of the room floated a large blue crystal. A magic circle had been carved into the ice on the floor, its lines glowing faintly. Standing before the crystal and in the center of the circle was a single figure dressed in the most regal of attire. Immediately Candy made to shoot forward.

“Princess!” she shouted.

Uri thrust her hand in front of the girl, keeping her from approaching. All of us didn’t take our eyes off of the figure after that as she raised her head and gazed at us. A little smirk appeared on her lips and she reached out with her arms open towards Candy.

“My dear, sweet pet. How good it is to see you! Come here. Give your princess a hug.” The teenaged girl said softly.

“You are not the princess.” Uri stated curtly.

Candy cast her a confused look. “Not…Princess Julie?”

The princess frowned but did not lower her arms. “What are you saying? Of course I am! Even Candy recognizes me. Candy, come here _now_!”

“But…Uri just said…”

“NOW!”

Uri grit her teeth and doubled down on her claim. “You are not the princess, so stop trying to fool her Soyala!”

The princess finally put down her arms and scowled at Uri. Somehow her aura shifted, to such a degree that even I could feel it. The far more magically inclined members of our little group tensed in preparation for an attack of some kind. The figure of Princess Julie changed, and the person that now stood before us was a tall, slender woman.

Her skin was a deep, royal blue. Her hair was a lighter shade, and her eyes were completely a pale blue. Her dress was long and form-fitting and white. I didn’t have to be told to know that she was an ice spirit. Where Uri’s presence was warm and friendly, Soyala was cold and distant. They were complete opposites.

“So, your betrayal goes this far, does it Uri?” she asked, a certain bite to her words.

Uri noticeably flinched. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, her voice barely more than a whisper and confusion crossing her face.

“Don’t play dumb! You know exactly why you’re here, this far to the north! What I can’t believe is that you’d come all the way here to stop me. Really, you should know your place.”

The fire spirit’s eyes burned with worry. “No, please, I don’t know. I really don’t! Soyala, if you know then please, tell me! What am I doing here? Why has Vayu cast me out into the cold?”

Again with that name. Vayu. Something told me that whoever that was, they were the ringleader of whatever group Uri belonged to…or used to belong to. I couldn’t dwell on the name and my thoughts any further as Soyala practically growled at Uri and the rest of us.

“Foolish girl. If you don’t remember, then I have no business with you. If the lot of you are here for the princess then I have bad news for you. I’ve possessed her, and will be using her magic to boost my own in order to cover this island in ice. That is my purpose here. If you want the princess back you will have to take her from my cold, dead hands!”

 Uri frowned. “You know very well that killing you will kill the princess too!”

Soyala grinned savagely. “Oh, so you remember _that_ little detail!”

While the icy woman laughed maniacally, Uri turned her gaze to Tael. “I know you don’t use magic, but I have to ask; can you preform exorcisms?”

Tael’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “I mean…sort of? I need to be able to lock onto both parties’ magical signatures in order to force them apart. That’s going to take time. Not to mention in her current state that ice spirit would be able to possess her again right away.”

Candy brandished her claws. “So in other words, we need to buy you time and bring harm to that icy bitch so she can’t take Julie back right away!”

“Careful there! Any damage you do will be inflicted upon the princess too.”

“Then we hurt her, but don’t too badly.” Aurora stated, stepping forward. “Leave it to us, Tael. You focus on what you need to do.”

“What he said.” I agreed, finally grasping the situation in full.

Uri, too, came forward to challenge the ice spirit. Tael heaved a sigh and reminded us to be very, very careful. Soyala practically giggled at our threat and opened her arms wide to us.

“Well then, you’re all in agreement it seems. You want the princess back and for me to not do as I have been ordered. Very well, I shall kill the lot of you before I accomplish my goals here! Come! Fight me!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than an avalanche of ice shards rained down upon us from the ceiling. Tael and I raised our shields to protect ourselves and he began to mutter something under his breath. Uri’s fire made quick work of the ice above her, and Candy shredded the ones over her into dust. Aurora on the other hand used his own magic to redirect what was left back at Soyala. She backhanded them out of the way with ease, and the demon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The start of our fight consisted primarily of all of us simply trying to avoid Soyala’s attacks. She was relentless, sending wave after wave of spikes our way and trying to freeze our feet whenever we stood still. She succeeded in catching Tael, but he was too focused on his incantation to care. Somewhere along the line I ended up taking a defensive stance to protect him, as the ice spirit appeared to become increasingly concerned with what he was doing. Her attacks narrowed in focus, and that was when the others were finally able to go on the offensive.

Having learned that his own magic would do nothing against our foe, Aurora lashed out with his whip. His strikes didn’t harm her all too much, as her skin was as hard as the ice beneath our feet. It was enough to break her concentration, though, and in those moments Uri would unleash large fiery attacks upon her. While Soyala would still be reeling from the burns, Candy could spring into the fray and tear at her with her claws. Like Aurora’s whip, they weren’t able to do a whole lot of damage but they did annoy her greatly.

“You little…! How _dare_ you attack your princess?!” Soyala shouted, turning to swat Candy’s claws from her hands.

The feline dropped her weapons and quickly rolled out of further harm’s way. “The princess will forgive me for this!” she snapped, rushing to pick up her claws again.

Soyala made to attack her once more, but Aurora lashed out and bound her arm with his whip. He gave a sharp yank and dragged her towards him, making her stumble and nearly topple to the ground. Before she could recover, Candy had her claws again and leapt onto Soyala’s back, effectively knocking her to the ground. Uri shouted something and the feline sprang off of her again. Not a second later a huge pillar of fire erupted around the ice spirit.

“I have it!” Tael announced, his attention finally snapping back to reality. “Everyone stay back. Rory, keep her bound!”

We stepped aside to allow Tael to approach her. The ice at his feet had to be broken first, which was an easy feat with Uri’s help. He casually approached the banged up Soyala and pressed his hand to her head.

“BREAK!” he commanded.

There was a flash, and Soyala’s form seemed to split in two. One of the two figures that now lay on the floor was Soyala, her arm still bound by Aurora’s whip. The other was the regal princess whom we had all seen before the fight began. Soyala snarled, and all of us prepared to continue the fight. However to all of our surprise, she suddenly melted into the floor and disappeared. Candy looked to Uri, and the fire spirit gave her a little nod.

“She’s already left the shrine entirely. I don’t feel her presence anymore.”

The feline didn’t require anymore affirmation in order to rush to her princess’s side. Candy dropped her weapons beside her and with great care lifted Julie onto her lap. The princess’s eyes fluttered open, and after a moment she smiled up at Candy. She raised a hand and caressed one of her fluffy brown ears.

“My darling, sweet pet…” she whispered softly. “How happy I am to see you.”

“Princess…” Candy murmured back, tears welling up in her eyes. “I was so, so worried! Are you okay?”

Julie’s smile grew wider. “I’m a bit worse for wear, but nothing a strong member of the royal family cannot bear. Thank you for your concern.”

Slowly Julie got back to her own feet. Candy picked up her weapons again and hung them from a couple of hooks on the waist of her shorts. Julie breathed a deep breath to regain herself, and despite the light burns, scratches, and bruises visible on her person she suddenly appeared as fit and composed as she would any other day. With a resolved gaze she addressed the lot of us.

“You all have my thanks, brave warriors. I am Julie, princess of Frozen Towers!” she proclaimed with pride. “If you would all do me the service of escorting me back to the castle, I will be sure to reward each and every one of you properly.”

I gave a short bow, which the others were quick to imitate. “Of course, your highness. It would be our pleasure.”

She gave me a nod and glanced at Candy again. “Come my pet, let us return to our home now.”

A soft, rumbling sound echoed around the room. Candy’s smile was nothing short of affectionate as she purred happily. “Yes, Princess Julie…”

The princess approached the crystal behind her and placed a hand upon it. “The priests of old used this crystal to quickly escape this shrine. I have reactivated it so that we may leave through it. Candy, you go first. I will follow. The rest of you should come as well.”

Candy nodded and stepped forward. Hesitantly she touched the crystal as well and was alarmed when her hand slipped through its surface. She glanced quickly at the princess, who gave her a little nod. Taking a deep breath, the feline stepped through the crystal entirely. Julie spoke to us once more before she followed after.

“Do hurry, all of you. The crystal will not remain active for long.”

Tael, Aurora, Uri, and I all followed after them in that order. It was an unusual sensation, to step into what should have been a solid object and suddenly finding yourself outside in the snow. Somehow I got the feeling it would not be the last time I would do something like that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The princess is returned safely to Frozen Towers. The spell over the city has been broken, but that doesn't mean everything is back to normal quite yet. Once order is restored, both King Alfred and Princess Julie have rewards prepared for the heroes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was actually worried this would just barely make the word count. Turns out it is more than double what I needed!

Much to my surprise the trek back to the castle did not take very long. It might have been that we were all walking faster, eager to return to the warmth of the indoors. Princess Julie, as composed as any good royalty ought to be, did not complain at all about the cold and carried herself well across the frozen tundra. Candy remained close to her the whole time for reasons I can only guess at but assume was meant to help keep her warm.

The guards were back to their normal selves by the time we arrived at the castle again, and Princess Julie vouched for all of us so that we could speak with the king once more. The man was overjoyed to see his daughter safe and sound, and the two spared no thought for us as they hurried to embrace each other happily. Once they had parted, King Alfred thanked us over and over again, and of course asked if there was something he could give us as a reward.

The answer to that was clear to me the moment he asked. I shared a look with those that had accompanied me to Frozen Towers, and they appeared to be waiting for me to say something, so I did.

“I seek a way to go further south, perhaps by boat. On top of that, I get the feeling that these three wish to go as well.” The nods that Uri, Aurora, and Tael gave only confirmed that.

King Alfred nodded a few times and seemed to ponder to himself for a few moments. “Yes, I see… I _could_ arrange a way for you lot to do just that… But I am afraid I will not be able to for a few days, at the very least. Although the spell on my daughter and my city has been broken there is still much to be done.”

Uri then took a step forward. “Your majesty, if you don’t mind I could lend your city a hand in clearing away the ice. My powers are still not yet at their best, but I think it is pretty obvious how I could be of assistance.”

“Me as well.” Aurora spoke up. “I’m no spirit, but manipulating ice is a cinch.”

“Hey, don’t leave me out of this! If there’s anything I can do to help too, then I will.” Tael declared. “No one can mix up a better potion than me, and I’m pretty good when it comes to first aid.”

With a sigh I also offered my services, as limited as they were in this situation.

“If the four of you will aid my guards, then I shall pay the lot of you appropriately for the work.” King Alfred replied. “All four of you are also welcome here in my castle, and you are most welcome to stay until arrangements have been made for your departures.”

After this had been settled, Candy was assigned to show us to our rooms and to then bring us to the guards who were tasked with clearing the ice, the healers who were on call to help with any injuries, and others who might be of assistance. Over the next four days I and the others lent our hands where we could. Amidst the city’s recovery I couldn’t help but feel a small sting of pride. Despite the frigid temperatures and ice that had encased the city, not a single death had been reported. Sure there were some who were quite hungry, having depleted their food stores during the wait to be freed, but everyone had remained so strong. It reminded me of the harsh winters I had seen people face time and time again. No matter how bad they seemed to get, the people of the Snowstream Empire here hardy folk, and those of Frozen Towers were just the same. The whole thing had me wondering briefly if I had been feeling homesick, and perhaps I had been, but the feeling passed quickly enough.

With the payment for our work, all four of us took to the shops in order to get new gear where we could. Tael had found himself new shorts and a warmer cloak than the old, ragged things he had been wearing, Uri found herself a better wand, Aurora wouldn’t stop cooing over the black leather whip he had found. For my part, I went and found new boots with thinner lining, considering we were going to be heading for warmer climates that were not likely to have me knee deep in snow all the time.

The king summoned us late one afternoon, after there was no more for us to do in the city alongside the guards. When we entered the throne room he and his daughter were of course sitting on their respective thrones. Candy knelt upon the floor beside Princess Julie and had her head resting on the girl’s lap. She was also purring quite contentedly as the princess pet her hair. It was an odd sight, but none of the others said anything about it, so I did not either.

To our surprise though it was not the king who spoke to us first, but Julie. She informed us that she had been working very hard during the time that we had been and that she had succeeded in creating something for each of us, as her own personal thank you for her rescue. She rose from her seat, Candy shifting away to allow for it, and picked up a jewelry box that had been sitting on a table beside her. Princess Julie approached us and opened it, revealing a set of five golden rings.

“I would like to present my rescuers with the culmination of my current magical prowess: these rings that I have dubbed the Five Heroes’ Fortunes.” As she spoke, Candy got to her feet and came to stand beside the princess. Julie handed her the box, which Candy took without question, and plucked one of the rings from it. “I have enchanted each of these rings to enhance and assist each of your unique abilities. I hope you all will accept them. Eric, if you would give me your right hand…”

I stepped forward and removed my glove before holding out my hand for her. The princess took it delicately and slid the ring she held onto my middle finger. “For you, Eric, I present the Human’s Fortune; a ring that, so long as you remain standing on the battlefield, will grant you and your allies a magical boost to your attack powers and your defenses.”

“Thank you, your highness.” I said with a little bow when she released my hand.

Julie nodded and took the next ring from her box. She asked for Uri’s hand to be next, and the spirit came forward just as I had. Julie placed the ring upon her middle finger as well.

“For you, Uri, I present the Spirit’s Fortune. I understand that you are currently in a weakened state, and so I have enchanted this ring to give you a small boost to your mana. But that is not all; if I have done it correctly then wearing this ring should allow you to tap into the elements of your siblings, giving you a small amount of control over them in addition to your fire.”

After Uri’s turn came Aurora’s.

“For you, Aurora…or should I say Rory?”

The demon shook his head with a smile. “Whatever feels appropriate to you, your highness.”

“Very well. For you, Aurora, I present the Demon’s Fortune. Forgive me if this is overly presumptuous of me, but you come across as the type of demon that feeds upon the blood of mortals.”

“You aren’t wrong.” He admittedly lightheartedly, causing the princess to smile with a bit of pride.

“In that case, I made the correct decision. Your ring will allow you to absorb a part of your foe’s life force, without needing to make direct contact, so long as the foe is bleeding.”

And up last was Tael, and the princess once more slipped the ring upon his right middle finger. “And for you, Tael, I present the Fairy’s Fortune. I understand that despite your lineage you do not trust magic enough to use it yourself, and yet your desire to bring aid and relief to your allies is strong. As such the enchantments upon this ring will heighten your awareness and agility so that you may get to an injured ally’s side more quickly.”

“Thank you, your highness.”

Without missing a beat, Princess Julie turned around and removed the last ring from the box. “Candy?” she asked. “Your hand, please.”

The feline squeaked and nearly dropped the jewelry box. Her eyes were wide with shock and her jaw slack, such that she was barely able to ask “Me?” while she pointed at herself. The princess nodded and motioned for her to give her hand. Hesitantly Candy held out her own hand and Princess Julie took it in order to put the final ring upon her finger.

“Candy, my dear pet, you are one of my rescuers, are you not? And so for you I present the Feline’s Fortune. It shall grant you immunity to any ailment that might hinder you upon the battlefield. Paralysis, poison, blindness, anything like that you will no longer need to worry about.” The princess smiled down at Candy affectionately. “That way you can continue to be as reckless as you please.”

Candy took a moment to raise her hand and stare at the glinting metal on her finger in awe. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she threw her arms around Julie, shouting her thanks between sobs of happiness. The princess giggled and stroked her hair affectionately.

It was then that King Alfred finally stood and addressed us himself. He stated that getting a ship for us would still take some time, but that he had an alternative for us should we be okay with going on foot. It didn’t take much talking between myself and the others for us to decide that this would be just fine. The king then motioned for us to follow, and we, the princess, and Candy all did. Behind the thrones were two huge statues depicting frost dragons. A small switch at the base of one caused the other to slide away from the wall, revealing a passage just large enough for a person to fit through.

“This passage goes beneath the sea to the south. It should take you to a cave just beyond the northern border of the Deadlands. It was built to protect the royal family in times of emergency, but I suppose I could allow you lot to travel through it as thanks for rescuing my daughter.” The king explained.

“Thank you, King Alfred. This really is too kind of you.” Aurora stated.

“Not at all! I’m only sorry that I could not get you a ship sooner.”

There was a small beat wherein nobody said anything. During this moment, Candy fidgeted anxiously. All eyes turned on her curiously and she drew a deep breath.

“Take me with you!” she shouted determinately.

Neither the king nor the princess appeared to be surprised by this exclamation. I, however, was. Judging by the looks on my companion’s faces they hadn’t been expecting it either. Candy seemed to notice this and elaborated.

“Frozen Towers isn’t the only kingdom where bad things have been rumored to be happening. To be frank about it: I’m concerned as all hell! Hazard Falls in the Deadlands isn’t far from where this passage leads. If nothing else, I would like to go with you until we reach the town.” She suddenly bowed deeply. “Please!”

I didn’t even need to see the looks on the others’ faces to know how they felt about it. I breathed a deep sigh and offered her a little smile.

“Alright, welcome aboard Candy!”

The feline stared up at me and the others for a moment, seemingly bewildered that it had been that easy. When she finished processing what the answer had been Candy jumped into the air, punching it enthusiastically.

“FUCK YEAH!” she shouted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like this particular chapter, and it is all because of the Five Fortunes. I dunno why, I just really, REALLY love that they've now got matching rings. Makes 'em seem more like a true band of heroes, you know?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party, now fully fledged, proceeds deep into the passage. In addition, Candy tells a little bit more about herself!

The small opening that King Alfred had shown us led to a long, narrow, spiral staircase. There were no torches or lanterns, so it was fortunate that Uri was able to light our way with her fire. We descended, taking careful step after careful step down the seemingly never-ending stairs, going deeper and deeper into the earth. While tiring, it made sense that the passage would have to be deep; we were going to be going beneath the sea, after all.

Eventually he stairs ended, and were now in the main part of the passage. While the walls and ceiling were made of stone and well supported, the floor was crude and nothing but hard dirt. Candy pointed at the wall just a little ways ahead of us. A lantern hung there, and Uri was quick to light it so that she could extinguish her flames and conserve her magic. We decided to take a quick breather there, as the stairs had taken a remarkable lot out of us.

“I take it you’ve been down here before?” I asked the feline.

Candy nodded. “Very few people at the castle do, for obvious reasons. But it’s always been my job to protect the princess. I’ve been entrusted with the knowledge of this passage, its location, and how to open it from both sides. I’ve been down here a few times, both when I was first taught about it as well as a couple after that to refresh my memory.”

“That’s impressive.” Aurora stated. “Someone as young as you isn’t often so well respected by the royal family. What are you, fifteen?”

“Fourteen.” Candy replied before proudly proclaiming, “When I was just a little kitten, I was given to the baby princess as a gift! She’s only two months older than me, you know! Anyway, I figured the least I could do for her was to become the best fighter in the kingdom.” She puffed out her chest and smirked. “I’ve always protected Julie!”

“That’s another thing I’ve been wondering about…” I began, “You keep saying that you’re her ‘pet’…does that mean you’re basically a slave?”

Candy shook her head emphatically. “Nope! At the very least, I’ve never considered myself to be one. I mean first of all I got paid for doing my duty of protecting her.” She paused and shifted to get a little more comfortable on the ground beneath the lantern where we were all sitting. “Um… Want me to tell you about how I ended up at the castle?”

I nearly rolled my eyes, having been content with the answer she had already given. Uri on the other hand told her to please continue. Candy perked up and began to elaborate.

“From what I’ve been told, I was found in an alley in my mother’s arms in the dead of winter. A soldier on patrol spotted us, but my mom had already passed away when she investigated. I was alive, but very cold. Frozen Towers doesn’t have an orphanage or any formal place of worship or anything, so there wasn’t anywhere safe she could drop me off at. So she ended up bringing me to the castle. Queen Rebecca supposedly fell in love with me at first sight and demanded that I be brought up in the castle with her daughter. Not to be family, of course, just as a companion for Julie. The queen said that my hair looked like cotton candy, so from the start my name already was kind of a pet name. She always called me ‘Candy’, and no one bothered to give me a proper name. Not that I mind, I like my name!

“I was the one who decided on the whole ‘pet’ title, by the way. I think we were five or maybe six at the time. Princess Julie never knew how to talk about me to guests.” Candy flashed a sheepish grin. “Back then neither of us understood what calling me a pet could imply. But… I was so adamant about the title, so it’s what we used and eventually King Alfred adopted it as well. We’ve just…never bothered to revise it, even knowing what sorts of things it could mean now.”

“It’s no wonder Princess Julie loves you so much, if you two grew up together like that.” Aurora laughed.

“Yup! And I love that little bitch, too!” Candy happily declared, much to everyone’s shock. She must have noticed our horrified stares because she then gave a nervous chuckle and explained, “I don’t mean that in a bad way! I promise! Julie means everything to me. I only call her names out of affection, I swear!” She cleared her throat. “Anyway… Thanks to my upbringing, I know all of the royal families of Grande Mondo. Now that Julie is safe, I need to make sure everyone else is, too. That’s why I decided to join you guys! If I can make sure, firsthand, that everyone is okay then it’ll put Julie that much more at rest.”

We all took her word for it. Uri even went so far as to commend her loyalty to the tundra’s royal family. We rested a few minutes longer before getting back to our feet and beginning to try and make a dent in the distance we were inevitably going to have to cover.

For the most part, there were enough lanterns on the walls to light our path. The passage was still dim, and we proceeded with caution because of it. The air was surprisingly warm, which made it easier to sleep compared to the biting cold of the land above. But the air was stuffy, and after a couple of days became perhaps the most annoying part of the whole trek.

Eventually Candy pointed out some marks drawn on the wall in red paint and explained that we were now about halfway through the place. Her words were reassuring to hear, but the thought of having to spend the rest of the week down beneath the ground was maddening. So maddening, in fact, that much of this part of our journey is pretty hazy in my memory. It was a whole lot of nothing but walking, sleeping, and listening to the others occasionally speaking to each other about things that I didn’t particularly care to hear about.

It wasn’t until nearly a week after we had begun our walk that something of significance occurred. It was faint, but we could feel a breeze coming into the cave. I think all of us were excited, because I remember we all broke out into a run at about the same time. The boring passage began to curve and head upwards towards the surface again. We hurried along it, wanting only to get out from that underground pit of boredom.

Thinking back on it, we probably should have taken the final stretch with a bit more caution. But how were we supposed to know that the exit was being guarded by not one, but three very suspicious characters?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric and the others come across three fiendish individuals. What could this trio want? Why, to kill them, of course!

Three figures stood beside the exit to the tunnel. Needless to say, but we were all surprised to come across other people down there. Candy in particular immediately bristled at the sight of them, and we continued to approach with some caution. One of them, a dark elf woman with long silver hair and a blue dress, raised her head in our direction and a smile spread across her face.

“I guess these are the ones we’re supposed to get rid of.” She stated.

The other two looked our way, and the man of the group, a tall white-haired human cloaked in black, spoke softly, “It must be.”

The other woman, who was another human and had short blonde hair and dressed in greens and tans, leaned against the man and snickered. “They don’t look too strong, do they Danny Baby?”

The man shook his head. The first woman sighed.

“Don’t underestimate our opponents, you two. We wouldn’t have been hired to do this job if they were easily picked off otherwise.”

“Um, excuse me…” all three heads focused on me as I spoke. Their stares were unnerving, to say the least. “What’s going on here?”

“Yeah! How did you even get in here?!” Candy shouted.

The elven woman giggled. “The one who hired us moved the huge boulder blocking the way.” She said simply before looking up at the man and asking, “Right, Danny Dear?”

The man known as Danny nodded again, but did not speak. Instead, the elven woman went ahead and filled in the last part that we were all burning to know.

“We were told to kill anyone who came through here.” She stated sweetly.

Candy growled deep in her chest and bared her fangs at the trio. Her fists clenched at her sides, positioned awfully close to her weapons. The rest of us similarly fell into similar stances, ready to fight should we have to.

“You… You were… But this is the Frozen Towers royal family’s safety tunnel! No one should know where its exit is but them and those they trust! How _dare_ that person move aside the boulder! Just thinking about the danger that could put Princess Julie in…IT PISSES ME OFF!” she hissed.

The trio was weirdly quiet for a single beat. Danny turned his eyes to both of his partners and muttered, “Kill them”.

In an instant, the two women charged us. The elf drew a sword and made a beeline straight for me. I barely managed to raise my shield in time to block her attack. Beside me I heard the sound of knives getting locked into Candy’s claws. Tael struck with his spear, and the blonde woman seemed to vanish as she dodged. Danny hadn’t moved from his spot, but he raised a staff and began to mutter an incantation. Uri and Aurora didn’t give him a chance to finish it, launching fire and ice in his direction. In response, the man raised a magical barrier to deflect their attacks. It lowered, and he began to fling simpler spells of his own.

The elf was exceedingly agile for a swordswoman. You’d think her lack of armor and shield would make her a sitting duck, but quite frankly just nicking her was a challenge. The way she could duck and dodge and flip out of the path of my sword was unreal. It was like she was dancing, rather than in a fight. On top of that, each of her strikes was fast, and I found myself cowering behind my shield just as often as I tried to attack. Despite her slim physique, each stab she took at me had me grunting with the effort of holding her off, and my arm was quickly growing tired from the repeated impacts. A part of me actually began to wish that one of the others would come to my aid!

I didn’t get my wish, and the fact that I wouldn’t be getting it became quickly apparent when I got an opportunity to spare the others a single glance. The blonde woman continued to disappear every time Tael or Candy came close to hitting her. If the elf was agile, then the blonde was fast…and likely had a few tricks up her sleeve in order to get away so easily. Uri and Aurora weren’t faring too much better. No matter whether it was spells they were throwing or the whip they were striking with, Danny was able to deflect them with his barriers and return fire at the same pace.

A thought occurred to me just then. If we were all outmatched against a foe who was too similar to our own fighting styles, then perhaps we’d be able to do something if we changed things up. I blocked another of the elf’s attacks, and drew a deep breath. I spoke as loudly as I could, voice echoing through the underground tunnel, and gave an order.

“Aurora, switch with me! Candy, help me! Uri, assist Tael!”

All at once, I got four answers. All of them, “YES SIR!”

Pride swelled within me for an instant. To hear and know that the four of them were willing to trust my decision without explanation was amazing. I couldn’t dwell on the feeling, however, as all of us began to move and change targets. We had a small advantage, as our foes did not know who was who. In the chaos, we succeeded in swapping, and that’s when the tide of the battle clearly began to change.

Aurora, for his stationary combat style, proved effective against his agile foe. His whip never stopped moving, and neither did he as he kept turning to keep the elf in his sights. She in turn was rarely able to get close to him, instead having to evade his strikes. To make matters worse for her, he managed to back her against a wall and threw up walls of ice on either side of her. She was pinned, and made a desperate rush at him.

Uri and Tael weren’t as fast as the blonde woman, but they didn’t have to be. With his shield, Tael could block her easily enough. Her knives would chip away at the wood, and in that instant Uri would follow up with her fire, igniting the very area surrounding the woman. She dodged, but by that time she had already taken a bit of damage. She tried to attack Uri instead, but doing so only put the spirit’s blazing fire directly into her face.

Lastly, Candy and I went all-out offence on Danny. As we quickly found out, he was unable to attack and defend at the same time, and his defense was incredibly limited. His barriers could only be raised from his hands and were not that big, so there were many parts of him that were less protected. After a couple of attacks, I had already come up with an idea. I prayed for Candy to understand what I was doing and charged him head-on. My sword met his barrier with a grunt from both of us, and I did not let up. To my luck, Candy caught on immediately. She dove around behind him in order to make her next attack, and her claws made contact with his throat.

“Call off your friends.” Candy murmured.

The man froze up for a moment. He chewed on his bottom lip and spoke softly, but clearly. “Shadow! Oakwhisper! Stop!”

The elf stopped mid-run and whipped around to see what was going on. The blonde was spared from Uri’s attack and backed down before doing the same. Danny stood stock-still, with Candy’s claws pressed dangerously against his neck. Panic washed over the two women, and it was clear that they wanted to rush in to save him. The man swallowed thickly and raised his hands into the air in surrender. The women followed suit.

But Candy did not release him. She looked between the three, anger burning in her eyes. The rest of us kept our weapons or spells trained on them as she spoke.

“Who was it that hired you?” the feline growled.

“We…we can’t just tell you that!” the blonde shouted back.

“Do you want me to rip apart his fucking throat?!”

“Shadow, calm!” the elf snapped at her partner, causing the blonde to back down just a little more. “It was a spirit. Vayu is his name.”

I could see Uri freeze up at that name. Again…Vayu… Whoever he was, it was clear that he was dangerous. In time, we would probably have to deal with him, but for now…

“Candy, let that Danny guy go.” I told her.

She removed her weapons from his neck and he immediately slumped down to the floor. The blonde, Shadow, and the elf, Oakwhisper, hurried to his side. We let them. He looked up at me, annoyance written all over his face.

“It’s Daniel.” He muttered softly.

“Right. Then, Daniel, we’ll spare your lives as thanks for giving us Vayu’s name. Now get out of here.”

All three of them looked unhappy at being ordered around like that, of course. But Shadow threw down a smoke grenade. Despite the obstruction it created, I was just able to see them moving and leaving toward the exit. When the air in the narrow tunnel cleared, it was only the five of us left. Candy growled again, eyes trained on the way out.

“They did leave, right? They didn’t go further in, right?!” she shouted.

“They left.” I confirmed for her, putting her greatest worry to rest. “I could just barely see them moving. They’re gone.”

Candy spat on the ground and hung her claws on their hooks again. “Good!”

We all took a moment to calm down. Aurora placed a hand on Uri’s shoulder and quietly asked if she was okay. The spirit only gave a tiny nod and breathed a deep breath.

“Thank you, Eric.” She spoke, startling me and catching everyone else’s attention. “Although a bit convoluted, it was your idea to ignore how they clearly had wanted this fight to go that saved us.”

I could only give her a bit of nervous laughter in reply. “I wouldn’t say that. I only thought about who was better suited to fighting who. Honestly, there was probably a much better way to handle all of that than what I came up with.”

The looks the others gave me only seemed to say that they were on Uri’s side. The spirit shook her head.

“No. What you had us do was smart. It worked, and that’s what matters.”

I just sighed. I didn’t really think it was that impressive, and I still don’t. Quite frankly we only won by pure luck. I had been unable to communicate my plan to Candy, but she still figured it out. If she hadn’t, then things would have continued and who knows how it would have ended? I didn’t voice this, however. Instead all I did was suggest we get a move on.

We found our way out of the tunnel. The opening was right up at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. The boulder that had been meant to be blocking it sat some fifteen feet away. It took myself, Aurora, Tael, and Candy all to push it back into place, and even then it was no easy effort. No sooner had we breathed sighs of relief than a foul-smelling wind swept by us. The stench was so putrid and strong that I had to quickly cover my nose and mouth.

Beside me, Tael snickered.

“Welcome to the Deadlands!” he announced. “There’s a huge swamp that covers most of the north-west. That’s where the stench around here comes from.”

I blanched. “And people _live_ here?”

He shrugged. “People get used to it. Heck, those that grew up here kind of find it soothing.”

I wasn’t able to ask him how he knew that. Another wind blew passed us and I had to cover my face even more. Aurora and Candy too did not look too thrilled about the smell, Candy even pinching her nose tightly. Uri on the other hand…

Her gaze was out across the sprawling, barren wasteland. Her stare was so intense it sent a shiver down my spine. Without prompting, she muttered.

“This wind… I… I…!” she turned her head to face me, body trembling, eyes and tone of voice pleading. “Eric! We need to go investigate the swamp, now!”

How could I have said no to that? Despite not wanting to get anywhere closer to the source of the smell, it was plain as day that this was something truly important to Uri. All I could do was give her a nod, and she and Tael began to lead the way for us.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group continues their travels to the west and to the swamp. In doing so, they get a chance to see what their Fortunes can do for them. They also learn a little bit of interesting trivia from and about Tael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, I'm actually quite happy with how this chapter turned out...what with writing it while fighting off a bit of writer's block. Usually if I force something like this I feel kinda "meh" about the results. But anyway, enjoy this short but (hopefully) good update!

If there was one good thing about having to travel across the wasteland for about a week, it was that it gave all of us plenty of opportunities to get accustomed to our new abilities. Down in the tunnel it was too cramped to try anything, and not to mention there weren’t any creatures or anything to try and fight. But above ground we ran into a number of monstrous creatures.

It seemed that the Deadlands’ most populace residents were, not surprisingly, the undead. Skeletons, phantoms, and half-rotted corpses aimlessly roamed the plains of dry, hardened earth. Although we did our best to avoid them, there were still a number of times wherein we were faced with a fight.

Through this, we got a decent taste of how much more powerful we all felt thanks to my Fortune’s blessing. Everyone could hit just a little bit harder, or could withstand just a little bit more. As we learned, the corpses possessed a mouthful of disgusting bacteria that caused all sorts of problems should they be able to bite somebody. Candy’s Fortune shone brightly in those situations, as she could resist the almost-poisonous traits of the bites without so much as flinching. For the rest of us, Tael’s Fortune came in very handy. The moment one of us sustained a bite or a blow that would impede our ability to fight, he was on top of it. I must say, for as bright and cheery and almost dumb as he may seem, he certainly knows his way around first aid and medicine in general. Even Uri’s Fortune proved to be quite useful. Although the corpses were quite susceptible to her fire, the phantoms and skeletons were not. It took her some effort, but after a couple of days she was able to hurl large chunks of earth and rock at the skeletons, which broke them into pieces, and could rip through phantoms with bolts of electricity.

Perhaps the only one of us who didn’t get much of a chance to see what their Fortune allowed was Aurora. None of our foes could bleed, so there was nothing for him to absorb…for the most part. We did learn one thing, however. Apparently Princess Julie had either thought about that limitation or hadn’t been as careful in enchanting the Demon’s Fortune as she was the Human’s, because while my ring wouldn’t affect my enemies, Aurora’s would affect his allies. On a number of occasions when we would be cut or bitten and would bleed, he seemed to become reinvigorated…if only by a little bit.

And so like this we made our way west. The stench of the swamp grew more pungent by the day, but strangely…we were all growing used to the smell. We still did not like it, and if a particularly strong gust of wind blew from that direction all of us but Tael had to cover our noses. But we were no longer gagging every time we breathed. By day four, Tael had noticed and pointed this out to all of us. He had even teased us a little about it, saying “I told you the people get used to it.”

We reached the edge of the swamp around mid-afternoon. The waters were dark and dingy, and it was easy to tell that a number of unpleasant creatures, plants, and insects made their homes within it. Half-dead grass, shrubs, and trees were scattered among the pools of water, and a light fog covered the area, giving the whole place a sort of creepy atmosphere. On top of that, a purple haze hung just above the water’s surface. The foul smell amplified anytime that fog was disturbed, making it obvious that whatever was stinking up the place was quite concentrated within it.

Tael stopped at the water’s edge, the mist swirling around his bare ankles, and of all things inhaled deeply. He released a pleased sigh and turned to look at the rest of us over his shoulder with a grin.

“Well, are you coming?” he asked.

We exchanged looks. None of us particularly wanted to get any closer. Especially when we didn’t know why we would even want to.

I ended up asking him why.

“There’s a tavern out in the middle of the swamp.” He explained. “It’s probably the Deadlands’ most famous location! Uri, you said you wanted to come out here to the swamp, right?”

She nodded. “There’s… I can’t really explain it but… There’s something out there that I need to see with my own eyes.”

“Exactly! Whatever it is is probably either by or in the tavern. That’s why we should go there. Plus we might get lucky enough to sleep in beds! The place doesn’t have many rooms for rent, but you gotta admit that even with those chances it’s worth a shot. It’d be better than sleeping outside again!”

With some hesitance, we decided to follow him. We found a serious of wooden docks built across the murky waters some yards to the south. It was clear that they were in need of some repairs, but it was a lot more pleasant than the image I had gotten of trudging through waist-deep filth. At some point, Candy knelt down and peered over the edge of the dock, her face drawing within an inch of the mist. Tael quickly informed her that she really did not want to do that.

“The smell may be bad, and it and the mist won’t hurt you… But you don’t want to touch that water! There’s some nasty, awful things growing in it. Even getting a bit of that splashed on you can make you sick for days.”

At his words, Candy immediately retreated from the dock’s edge. She hopped back onto her feet and trotted to join back up with us.

“You sure do know a lot about this place.” I told Tael.

He chuckled. “I ought to. As a healer, it’s kind of my job to know about the major health hazards of each region.”

“What’s the problems to be aware of in the Desert or Vulkane?” Aurora inquired curiously.

“Heat stroke, mostly.” He replied casually. “But if we’re talking something less apparent… The Desert also has a lot of sandstorms, and obviously you have to worry about breathing in volcanic ash in Vulkane.”

“Sounds like basic information.”

“It is.” Tael gave a shrug. “If I’m honest, I’m most familiar with the Deadlands and the Tundra. Those’re the places I’ve personally spent the most time in.”

“Hey, I’m curious!” Candy piped up. “Are you from here or something?”

The fairy grinned brightly. “Yup! I grew up in this region! But you guys probably don’t want to hear about that right now…” he turned back to look ahead of us and gave a little nod.

Sure enough, through the haze and under the cover of a cluster of dead trees, a lone old building stood above the swamp on a tall, rickety old foundation of wood. Scattered torches were lit along the paths of docks near it, both from where we were coming from as well as from other directions’ docks. A few windows were open and light gleamed from inside. As we got a bit closer, we could even see a few people milling about outside. There was also music playing from somewhere, raising the atmosphere from dark and dismal to something almost quaint.

A sign hanging by the steps leading up to it read “Deadforest Tavern: The Heart and Soul of Deadforest Swamp”.


End file.
